Devalue/Value/Surplus Value
(2016)

Devalue/Value/Surplus Value
Between “work” and “art”

ISET, Athens
www.iset.gr

Participating artists: Bill Balaskas, Martha Dimitropoulou, Andreas Savva, Efi Spyrou, Vassilis Vlastaras, Theodoros Zafeiropoulos
Curator: Charis Kanellopoulou

Faced with an ailing economy and operating in a weakened market as members of an ever-expanding artistic community, artists (and other professionals involved in art) are often expected to act simultaneously as intellectual creators, producers, service providers and self-employed professionals; their work is increasingly remunerated in terms of symbolic capital instead of being defined in monetary terms. Thus they are called upon to content themselves with an “emotional income” that comprises the benefits of “presence”, prestige, reputation or professional and social networking but comes nowhere near the material compensation which will help artists make a living as well as motivating and financing their subsequent artistic pursuits.
In view of all this, how does one set a value to art and artistic work in this age of economic and cultural crisis? Can the links in a work’s “value chain” remain together, from the original creative idea through its implementation to its ultimate impact on the cultural industry?