During Semana ARTBO a series of free talks and conferences with national and international guests will address issues associated with con- temporary art. This edition of Foro is curated and directed by Alex Gartenfeld, Artistic Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art of Miami.

This year’s Foro will engage a diverse selection of artists and actors critically engaged with the crisis to challenge dominant modernist ideologies. Within the space of the Americas, institutions must focus on the work of black, indigenous and colored artists in order to under- stand the racism of dominant cultures.

CURATORIAL CONCEPT

Alterity and Anthropocene: A defining characteristic of the past year of crisis has been withdrawal—physical, economic, etc.—at this moment we tentatively, optimistically look to restore our senses of community. Accompanying this process of renewal is a demand for redefinition of the terms of reengagement, exemplified by the important work of social justice activists. This year’s Foro engages a diverse selection of artists who are critically engaging with notions of crisis in order to question dominant modernist ideologies. Demands for social justice and racial equity are foundational to ensuring that the return from crisis does not exacerbate its original terms. Talks in this program highlight diverse artists who are examining modernist orthodoxies that remain entrenched across the Americas. A number of the talks presented in Foro look critically at institutions in order to examine how notions of scale and model might open up new possibilities. Speakers highlight the urgency of environmental conservation and activism, and its close entanglement with social and racial justice globally. There is no guarantee that this halting restoration of public spaces will present a more equitable future; in fact much of the evidence is quite to the opposite. The speakers invited here engage social and topical issues in order to unpack the role activist potentials for art today.