PARASOPHIA 京都国際現代芸術祭2015

Part of the research toward Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015 has been shared with the public through the Open Research Program. With a little over a month before the exhibition opens on March 7, Parasophia presents a lecture by Professional Advisory Board member Roger M. Buergel (Director, Johann Jacobs Museum) in the context of the Access Program to further clarify Parasophia’s goals and to share its vision and philosophy. In his lecture, Buergel will take a critical look at the global contemporary in terms of art, discourses, and institutions, thus shedding light on what is presently expected of international exhibitions and on why we need Parasophia today.
As a prolific art critic and curator, Buergel has been appointed as the artistic director of international exhibitions such as Documenta 12 (Kassel, Germany, 2007) and the 6th Busan Biennale (Busan, Korea, 2012). At the Busan Biennale, which was given the thematic title Garden of Learning, Buergel opened a “Learning Council” formed by approximately 80 local citizens and participating artists, where various individuals took part in in-depth discussions about and made actual proposals for the production of artworks and the exhibition’s educational program. Buergel reflected the Learning Council’s discussions and proposals in the exhibition, and created a diverse educational program that allowed participants to maintain their own independent point of view. In 2013, Buergel was appointed the Founding Director of the Johann Jacobs Museum in Zurich. The museum is dedicated to exploring and depicting the complex history of global trade routes, and has been making a groundbreaking approach as a new kind of cultural institution.
Through this Access Program lecture, Buergel will draw from his experience and deep insight to share his perspective on the interaction between art and other fields in the world today, on public institutions and programs that generate and nurture the culture of tomorrow, and on possible alternatives to take into account.

documenta 12: www.documenta12.de
Busan Biennale 2012: gardenoflearning.info
Johann Jacobs Museum: www.johannjacobs.com

About the Professional Advisory Board
The Professional Advisory Board consists of professionals who provide advice and support to the Artistic Director (see list).

Roger M. Buergel
Born 1962 in Berlin. Buergel is an art critic, a curator, and a member of Parasophia: Kyoto International Festival of Contemporary Culture 2015’s Professional Advisory Board. Before serving as a guest curator for the Museum of Contemporary Art Barcelona he taught art hirstory at Luneburg University (1999–2005) and the Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe (2007–09). He was appointed the artistic director of Documenta XII (Kassel, 2007) with art historian and curator Ruth Noack. Buergel also served as the artistic director of the 6th Busan Biennale (2012). He has curated and co-curated many exhibitions including Things we don’t understand (Generali Foundation, Vienna, 2000), The Government (University Art Gallery Luneburg and other locations, 2003–05), and Barely Something. On Ai Weiwei (Museum DKM, Duisburg, 2010). In 2010, he was appointed the Founding Director of Johann Jacobs Museum in Zurich, an exhibition space and research institution dedicated to the cultural residue of global trade routes. Allan Sekula: The Dockers’ Museum is now open until March 15, 2015 at Johann Jacobs Museum.