Can we redefine the role for public art if its primary function is no longer to commemorate or venerate. At a time when galleries are closed and access to physical artworks is limited it is perhaps not surprising that we should be turning our attention to Public Art. Central Saint Martins and Art Academy of Latvia will be collaborating on a series of public talks that unpick the history and context of public art from the distinct perspectives of each institution. Each talk will have a speaker from the United Kingdom  and Latvia and together with MA Fine Art students from both institutions will address the parallel and distinct tradition of Public Art in both countries. Each talk will explore a key theme in relation to the subject bringing together perspectives from opposite ends of the European Continent.

The talks programme which began on the 28th of January now goes on with the new talk

Destruction: Toppling monuments OR Public art as a focus for public unrest

For this the second in the Public Encounters talk Programme we will be looking at the toppling of public monuments and exploring recent examples both in the UK and Latvia. Statues erected to venerate public figures and the systems of power they represent have in both countries become a potent symbol of oppression. What can we learn by exploring in what way these have become a focus for public unrest and what happens when a statue falls?

Key speakers: Dean Kenning and Deniss Hanovs 

Students: Viktorija Balasova (AAL), Yu Shao Lo (CSM), Eleni Maragkaki (CSM) and Liene Rumpe (AAL)

Please join us on 11/02/21 at 14:00  UK time 16:00 Latvian time on the following link: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89444688667?pwd=R2JsLzZTbUtCRHgyL2NvWWFobENsdz09

ID: 894 4468 8667
Passcode: 301143

The public talk programme is a part of collaborative project between Central Saint Martins and Art Academy of Latvia

The programme is as follows:

- Destruction: the toppling of public monuments   11/02/2021
- Activism: The power of political art   25/02/2021
- Site: discovering new space for public art   11/03/2021