Art for Tomorrow Talks:
Seeking Impact

Panel: Who Really Owns Art?

The year 2021 was a landmark year for restitution. Artifacts long housed in museums in Germany, Belgium, the U.S. and France were returned to their African countries of origin. Meanwhile, Britain has recently agreed that it will hold formal talks with Greece about the fate of the famed Parthenon marbles, although no date has been set. This panel will take a hard look at some of the thorniest questions surrounding restitution issues: Who should be tasked with determining whether works have dubious origins? And what is the responsibility of governments and institutions in deciding whether those works should be returned?

Introduction by Prof. Nikolaos Stampolidis, Director,  Acropolis Museum

Speakers:

Tristram Hunt, Director, Victoria and Albert Museum

Tiffany Jenkins, Writer and Broadcaster 

Victor Ehikhamenor, Artist and Writer

Moderated by: Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times

Dinner at the Acropolis Museum

Art and Sustainability: Friends or Foes?

In the age of Extinction Rebellion, climate change is a rich subject for artists. At the same time, the industry hasn’t necessarily been praised for its sustainable practices, with globetrotting art fair-goers, and entire collections being flown from one exhibition to another. How should the art world address this implicit contradiction? 

Part I: Panel: How Can and Should Practices Change? 

Speakers:

Victoria Siddall, Non-executive Director, Frieze

Daniel Birnbaum, Artistic Director, Acute Arts

Jessica Morgan, Director, Dia Art Foundation

Moderated by: Matthew Anderson, European Culture Editor, The New York Times

Part II: Conversation: How Can Art Spur Action To Counter The Crisis? 

Speakers:

Fabrice Monteiro, Photographer 

Bjørnstjerne Christiansen, Artist, SUPERFLEX 

Moderated by: Roslyn Sulcas, Culture Writer, The New York Times

At Onassis Stegi: Conversation with Jeff Koons and Massimiliano Gioni

Presented by Onassis Culture, the Democracy & Culture Foundation and the DESTE Foundation

Last November, a massive retrospective of Jeff Koons's work was unveiled at the Al Riwaq in Doha. The exhibition was organized by the star curator Massimiliano Gioni, who has a long history with the artist, and has edited three books on his work. What was the process of putting together such a comprehensive show, especially in times of Covid? And how are both artist and curator adapting their work to a world buffeted by pandemics, war and other challenges?

Public Lecture - a conversation with:

Jeff Koons, Artist

Massimiliano Gioni, Artistic Director, New Museum

Moderated by Farah Nayeri, Culture Writer, The New York Times 

Transportation will be provided directly after the talk to Pedion Areos Park for the VIP Plasmata Tour and cocktail dinatoire.

“Plasmata” Digital Exhibition by Onassis

The Onassis digital art exhibition “Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data” returns from May 23 to July 10, with a special VIP Tour taking place during Art for Tomorrow on Saturday, June 18.

The exhibition showcases 25 international pieces with 40 solar batteries collecting energy to create an artificial moon, and a huge red planet. In a series of curated journeys unfolding through Pedion tou Areos, Plásmata explores themes and ideas around bodies after technology, constructed worlds, identities and boundaries, but also imagining new territories, connections and places of co-existence.

Transport will be provided to the Plasmata exhibition directly after the Conversation with Koons/Gioni.