Decolonizing the Festival: Curatorial Power Dynamics under Post-Colonial Scrutiny.

Kateryna Botanova

In cooperation with culturescapes.ch
Convenor: Elisa da Costa

Since 2021, the festival focus of culturescapes.ch is on cultural landscapes and environmental relations beyond the Global West. Previous festivals on Amazonia and Sahara - and Arctic for 2027 - challenge the usual and accepted visions of these regions by crosscutting the hegemonic knowledge production characteristic to most European cultural festivals. It is the festivals aim to understand and overturn post- and neocolonial power dynamics entrenched in the festivals’ ecosystem. What are possibilities of addressing knowledge as situated and self-critical? What are tools to reverse dominant gaze and optics and how are we as organizers able to widen the range of artistic voices without marginalizing and/or exoticizing them? Kateryna Botanova in conversation with Elisa da Costa will share experiences about dwelling into these inquiries.