2021

Art for Tomorrow: Seeking Impact

As the world undergoes unprecedented change – from the pandemic and its fallout, to racial unrest, to deepening social and economic inequalities – people are searching for meaning. By grappling with these issues, the arts can help define that meaning, frame it and inspire change.

The Art for Tomorrow Talks aim to analyze that impact, exploring the effect the arts can and do have on society. Governments, institutions and the wider public are asking hard questions about the works they are showing, viewing or buying: Can and should collections be more inclusive? What are some specific instances in which the arts have ignited a movement or a policy shift?  What is the interplay between politics and culture, and how has it evolved? 

Technology has been a crucial driver of many of these changes. The nexus between art and technology is ever more present in the rapidly expanding field of digital art, the virtual nature of which brings into question many of the presuppositions of what art ultimately is. This provides a paradigm of the society and culture in flux, akin to the revolution that Modern art inspired at the beginning of the 20^th Century. How do we make sense of these changes, and what do they tell us about the direction that the world is heading?

In association with The New York Times, the carefully curated Art for Tomorrow Talks will convene artists and experts to look closely at these issues, exploring the social and economic impact of art.

Sessions included:

View 2021 session videos

Here are videos of two sessions that took place in 2021, and you can click on the link below to watch all discussions. 

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