Kunst und Ökonomie - Wie Künstler:innen in Wirtschaft eingebunden werden können

In this lecture, Andreas Niegl presents historical and contemporary examples of the coming-together of artistic and entrepreneurial practice. Such experiments are part of a general artistic perspective that asks how art can leave its ‘safe space’ within existing art institutions and what consequences such an encounter between artistic and non-artistic worlds can have. However, the focus of the lecture is not purely on instances where artists are providing a service for the companies, but on projects that aim for an open cooperation between artists and companies.

Examples of artists and collectives, such as the Artist Placement Group, Diakron or Social Sensibility, who specifically orientate their practice towards collaboration with(in) companies, show that in the course of the 20th and 21st centuries, a serious artistic practice has been developed that attempts to integrate contemporary art into corporate contexts. The lecture will reflect on the various approaches to such cooperation with regard to an expanded understanding of art and the question of the ‘utility’ of art in business.