OPEN 23 Autonomy

Can autonomy be a means to reinforce the public relevance of art and culture? Open 23 examines this question and discusses new forms and meanings of autonomy for artistic and cultural practice.
The modern notion of autonomy, in which the creator keeps sociopolitical reality at bay in the privacy of his workshop or studio, fell apart due to its own limitations. The current rightwing/ populist political course, both in the Netherlands and in other Western countries, is provoking resistance and calls for creative displays of responsibility and solidarity. Yet the ideological engagement that posits itself in opposition to autonomy, in this era of ‘de-ideologizing’ and neoliberalism, seems equally unsustainable. The question is whether the concept of autonomy can be reinvented, in a way that ideas like freedom, privacy, self-determination and independence can be given substance without losing contact with the social sphere.