Thursday May 12 at 7PM
Westbeth Community Room
155 Bank St. (enter through courtyard)
New York, NY 10014

FREE

MASKS ARE REQUIRED.

Hans Haacke largely invented modern ‘artivism’ as a political strategy for conceptual artists. His work intervenes through the space of the museum or gallery to decry the influence of corporations on society and reveal the hypocrisy of liberal institutions accepting sponsorship from aggressive and conservative capitalists. This work has been immensely significant in prefiguring the modern challenge to ‘artwashing’, the attempted diversion from harmful business practices through philanthropic engagement with the arts.

Haacke’s politics extend to his artistic career, providing a principled example to artists and audiences. He still maintains partial ownership over his artworks after sale, for example, allowing him a measure of control over the extent to which his protest can be coopted by the art market. As a teacher and writer Haacke’s influence is not only in the work he directly produced himself, but in the dissemination of his political strategies through later generations of artists. Haacke’s fearlessness and refusal to bend in relation to institutional pressure has had an enduring legacy that persists to this day.

– The Art Story

Westbeth Icons is a project that celebrates the life and work of senior Westbeth artists who continue to work passionately in their artistic field. It is produced by the Westbeth Artists Residents Council.

The Icon evening features a filmed interview produced and directed by Ted Timreck with Terry Stoller, interviewer, as well as tributes by colleagues of the artist and words by the honoree. A special Icon gift is presented to the artist at the close of the evening.

See more Westbeth Icons at Westbeth Icons