Artistic Internationalism in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939)
A lecture by Jens Kastner, Institute for Art Theory and Cultural Studies.
Art and internationalism? Art as internationalism? Internationalism as art? Should art and the attitudes within social movements that champion the rights of others beyond national boundaries remain independent of one another, thereby reinforcing each other? Should artistic practice itself be dedicated to the cause of improving living conditions for all? Or is internationalist practice in the workplace, in rural areas, in the service sector and in reproductive labour becoming a kind of art of living?
To mark the 90th anniversary of the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War and social revolution, this lecture sheds light on some forgotten and overlooked aspects of a unique convergence between ‘art’ and ‘politics’.