Lectures by artist Jonas Staal (New World Summit), art historian and activist Lisa Ito (Concerned Artists of the Philippines); respondent: Miklavž Komelj (poet and art historian)

For the occasion of the first overview exhibition of the artistic and political organization New World Summit, Moderna Galerija hosts opening lectures and debates addressing the key topics of art, statelessness and the War on Terror.

The New World Summit has organized since 2012 international summits in their "alternative parliaments" hosting stateless political organizations, that have been confronted with political exclusion and blacklisting.

One one hand, New World Summit, explores the role of art to create a space to re-invent a fundamental democracy and narrates the histories of stateless political organizations. On the other, it explores the role of art within stateless states: art as an alternative to the state.

During the opening lectures, New World Summit founder artist Jonas Staal will speak of the role of art in re-inventing the project of democracy. He will be followed by Filipino art historian and activist Lisa Ito of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines, who will discuss the role of art within stateless and revolutionary movements in the Philippines with an emphasis on protest puppetry.

Miklavž Komelj, poet, art historian and specialist in the history of partisan puppetry in Slovenia, will act as respondent. The event will be moderated by curator of the Art of the Stateless State exhibition, Bojana Piškur.