Side effects in socially engaged art practices framed as Arte Útil

What is it about?

The article analyses ‘Broadcasting the archive’ an independent project that arose from the urgency to spread the Arte Útil archive created as a principal source of reference and the core of an exhibition beyond the institution, which hosts the material. The project is the first attempt to emancipate usership around the Arte Útil archive through a year touring activity programmes such as workshops, discussions and tours hosted by different organizations in various locations in Europe and United States. Through an interview with Núria Güell, Rubén Santiago and Valentina Maini conducted in collaboration with Avalancha collective at at Museo d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA), we explored how ‘Broadcasting the archive’ could be considered as a new methodology to understand the porosity of Arte Útil – intended as a movement – outside and inside the institutional framework.

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Photo by FORTYTWO on Unsplash

Photo by FORTYTWO on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The interview question how 'failure' in socially engaged art practice could lead to the development of different and unplanned outcomes. Therefore we propose to shift from the negative idea of 'failure' into that of the 'side effects' in the art process.