Za zrkadlom ekonomiky

Bratislava City Gallery invites you to a discussion, the purpose of which is to jointly map the contradictions and blind spots of the current arrangement: between the current economy and democracy, between expert analyzes and political reality, between global power structures and local possibilities of resistance.

The starting point for the discussion is the curatorial concept of the exhibition Smoke and Mirrors, currently underway at the GMB. The exhibition focuses on the economic and political background of the current authoritarian turn. Instead of disputes between liberal and populist discourses, the discussion will focus on the topics of deepening social and economic inequalities, the erosion of the welfare state, and the growing concentration of power in the hands of technological and financial actors. That is, the processes that fundamentally affect the functioning of democracy and political representation.

From the perspective of political economy, political science and curatorial and art historical practice, the discussing guests will try to name how the current dominant economic principles – especially neoliberal models oriented towards growth, austerity, deregulation and privatization – undermine democratic institutions and social cohesion. At the same time, they will open the questions of what alternative economic and political frameworks are conceivable today and what are the limits of attempts to enforce them in conditions of global economic dependence and geopolitical tension.

Discussed by:

• Mira Keratová, curator of the exhibition Smoke and Mirrors, curator of the GMB contemporary art collection
• Matúš Lupták, economist and data analyst
• Robert Žanony, political scientist, scientific collaborator Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Slovakia

Dramaturgy and moderation:

• Bohdan Smieška