CATHELIJNE BLOK IS SET TO HOLD A LECTURE ON THE NECESSITY OF ART IN THEATER DE VEST
What does a world without art look like? Cathelijne Blok, art historian, writer, journalist and founder of the art platform The Tittymag, makes a case for the arts in her performance at the Joost Zwagerman Lecture on 18 November in TAQA Theater de Vest. The lecture is in honour of the late artist, who was a critic, curator, and lover of art and literature. It is set to be an evening full of celebration and the Essay Prize 2024 will additionally be awarded.
During the lecture, Blok will talk about the importance of art. “We have separated art from ourselves and put people above art. We do not see art, wrongly, as a basic necessity.” Using artwork by Yayoi Kusama, Faith Ringgold and Kara Walker amongst others, Blok will explain what a world without art looks like. The works show the importance that art has in expressing our humanity, and Blok argues that art is the only way to question and interpret our human behavior in the past. The lecture is a mix of language and performance, in which a world without art is outlined in activist words and images.
“Art...is our universal language, a language that transcends every other language, and therefore all differences. The idea that you can cut back on art is based on a crucial mistake, namely that there is a difference between people, art and nature.”
With her art lectures on social media channels and appearances in the media, Blok guides a large group of potential art lovers into the challenging world of contemporary art. She points out works and their context for their social and artistic value. Her lecture promises to be a fiery argument in which the necessity of art is undisputed. About the content of the lecture she says; “A world without art is unthinkable, because it would be a world without imagination, without the ability to imagine something different, something better. Art is the essence of what makes us human, our culture, and without it our world would not only be poorer, but completely unbearable.”
Tickets to the lecture can be bought through the official website of Theater de Vest.
