Teaching beyond control? On situating a fence and the agonizing effect of graffiti-based cultural practices as challenge and chance for museum education | Intellect Skip to content
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Politicizing Artistic Pedagogies: Disciplines, Practices, Struggles
  • ISSN: 2042-793X
  • E-ISSN: 2042-7948

Abstract

In autumn 2020 the open-air construction fence exhibition of Vienna’s city museum (Wien Museum) was repeatedly damaged and marked with graffiti during demonstrations against measures taken by the government to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, the museum decided to re-curate the initial exhibition and exhibited the protesters’ graffiti markings instead. Approaching these events through situational analysis, I interrogate their political and politicizing dimension in reference to Chantal Mouffe’s idea of ‘agonistic pluralism’ and a radical democratic conceptualization of museum practice. By delineating their agonizing effect, I argue for a conflict-attuned notion of graffiti-based cultural practices in order to foster their democratic potential. In the end, I assess the museum’s decision to re-curate and ask if it contributes to a democratization of its practice and furthermore which role (re-politicized) museum education did and could play in this context.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Oesterreichischen Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank, Anniversary Fund) (Award 18453)
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2023-02-07
2024-04-23
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