Warehouse9 has not been around very long, but already has a reputation of putting on a show that’s both shocking and entertaining. Just recently they housed the International Performance Art festival, which featured controversial acts such as Mad Kate and Kira O’Reilly. Art 4 Social Change looks like it will be just as titillating.
The event will be taking place at the groundbreaking art gallery Warehouse9. It consists of a photo exhibition, which started on Tuesday and will run until Sunday, and a seminar with talks and debates on Saturday. The seminar will be followed by an evening of great wonder, which includes a photo exhibition, live performances, film screenings and live music.
The seminar can be seen as a follow-up to some of the exquisite work the gallery has done with J Jackie Baier, who will also be participating this time, which have focused on sexuality and the situation of transgendered people in the sex industry.
Although many of the artists participating have worked with similar issues, the event will not focus solely on the theme of sex and sexuality, but should rather be seen as a platform for different forms of art.
The organisers hope to inspire participants and attendees to look for art in places they might not have looked before and, most importantly, think about how art can lead to a change in our society or perhaps how art can even be the social change itself.
The gallery also hopes that the event will set the tone for the themes it will be working with for the next couple of years.
The event promises to be different from your average Saturday with talks from inspiring people such as Gary Everett from Liverpool, England, whose project ‘Homotopia’ has helped to fight homophobia and negative stereotypes in northern England.
Also speaking is Elizabeth Japsen, a Danish transperson who is a member of Enhedslisten Queerudvalg, a political organisation that feels that a broader definition of the term gender should be more prevalent and accepted in Danish politics.
A talk from Fahad Saeed, project leader of Sabaah, is also sure to be moving. Sabaah is a Danish social and cultural association for LGBT people from ethnic backgrounds, and in his talk, Fahad will speak about how a platform for social work can be created through cultural arrangements.
As well as interesting and eye-opening talks, there will be a moving photo exhibition by J Jackie Baier, and the evening will also see the sensational Holestar, an artist, photographer and performer, singing and DJ-ing for the crowd.
Warehouse9 is the perfect place for such a radical and refreshing event as the place is not exclusively an art venue, but a place that actively engages in social change projects. Similarly, the organisers hope that the powerful talks and open debates will inspire attendants to engage in social change projects themselves. Ultimately, Art 4 Social Change promises a unique experience that will entertain, educate, impress and, above all, shock.
Art 4 Social Change
Warehouse9, Halmtorvet 11C, Cph V; seminar & debate: Sat 14:00-18:00; exhibition started Tue 4 Dec, ends Sun; 3322 2847; www.warehouse9.dk
