Hannah Arendt struggled with the problem of evil throughout her life. As a Jew, what she called totalitarianism affected her personally, but her thinking is universal. Totalitarian states are the ultimate evil because in them, human beings themselves become unnecessary. This form of evil goes beyond human laws, indeed beyond the human. That was her thinking in the late 1940s. But this would be to demonise evil, when the only possibility, for Arendt, is to laugh at it in all its pitiableness.
Since Malmö Art Academy's founding in 1995, it has challenged traditional teaching methods by placing the studio and the open work process at the centre, characterised by feminist pedagogy and student self-determination through close reading. The teaching method, in which students read complex texts in groups with their peers and professors, has had a significant pedagogical effect, creating a direct connection between theory and practice within the group.
Having a theoretical foundation as an artist is extremely important for artistic practice, as context, discourse, and practice are intertwined in the creative process. Hannah Arendt's thinking is highly relevant today and has great significance for how we understand the world. In addition to seminars, a publication will be produced with support from the Pia Ståhl Foundation.
The seminar is lead by Gertrud Sandqvist, Professor of Art Theory and the History of Idea, and is part of celebrating Malmö Art Academy 30 years.
Photo: Fred Stein Archive/Getty Images
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