Pool 8: Art & Labour (gLV)

In this seminar we will explore the intricate connections between artistic production and its perception and contextualisation as 'waged labour' within different social frameworks. Aesthetic production involves a spectrum of labour processes, sometimes remunerated but all too often unpaid. The pursuit of artistic training and practice is fuelled by the hope of earning a living, either now or in the future. However, personal doubts and fierce competition are constant companions during artistic practice. At the same time, the investment in individual professionalisation of work is accompanied by socio-cultural notions that often validate artists only through tangible economic success. This quickly leads to categorisations such as the "unemployed artist" or the "amateur artist". Both are moments in which the label 'worker' is contested, whether in terms of strategies of engagement, meaningful pursuit and satisfaction (work), or physical and mental exertion (labour). And both are moments that provoke and incorporate self-reflexive themes and debates within art practices.

Through collective discussions and practical exercises, our aim is to develop sensitivity and awareness of where and by whom the processes of work and labour are negotiated in art production and how they have an impact.


About the lecturer:

Yvonne Wilhelm, an artist and professor, is part of the artist duo known as knowbotiq. She teaches at the ZHdK MFA with a particular emphasis on queer-feminist and post-/decolonial perspectives. Her artistic practice centers around post-digital time-based formats; installative-performative settings, and research-driven art.