“For mankynde in this do pre[ex]cel chiefli brute beaftes becaufe thei helpe one another by mutual communication.” Thomas More, Utopia, ed. Edward Artber (London: A. Murray & son, 1869), 18.

Suggestions for Art That Could Be Called Red is the new exhibition by the Museum of Contemporary Cuts (MoCC), curated by Senior Curators Lanfranco Aceti and Susanne Jaschko. The exhibition launches a provocation and asks a series of questions on contemporary cultural and political structures and artistic practice through a discursive contraposition of artworks. What is ‘red’ art? Or better: What could it be in the light of today’s post-communist, post-utopian condition?

Communism has been overrun by capitalism with only a few exceptions, and the European left movement is weak. In this situation, is there art that deals with the concept of communism constructively and develops its ideas into something new and exciting? Or can contemporary art look at communist ideals only with nostalgia?

And let’s be clear: is art that speaks out against capitalism and globalisation and that suggests alternatives ‘red’ per se? Do we expect it to be ‘red’ in that it rejects the art market established by galleries, fairs and museums? Is art ‘red’ whose form and language references to social realism or the revolutionary avant-garde? Do we actually share a common understanding of what’s ‘red’, left or communist?

Who are the artists whose works engages with topics of social liberation, fairness and equality? Do aesthetic and artistic practices have to refute political engagement, and can they exist without being rooted in social life?


Senior Curators: Lanfranco Aceti and Susanne Jaschko.

Curator: Jonathan Munro.

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