The discussion will be led by Tom Viaene (Art Critic, Curator and Philosopher), who loves to combine philosophy, art criticism and programming. He tried to deal with all kinds of ‘prejudices’ in different capacities, for a couple of non-profits in the cultural sector. For Gynaika he dealt with gender prejudices in cultural programming. For Rekto:Verso he was haunted by some prejudices in art criticism. Currently, he mainly works for the cultural centre de Warande (Turnhout) and teaches some philosophy at the Royal Conservatory Brussels. He has a fascination for voices, songs, theories, territories and legacies.

Drawing on his experience as a gender-equality worker and art critic, Tom Viaene will lead a discussion on prejudice as it pertains to biases that challenge art criticism's feigned neutrality, let alone fairness. This session addresses the taboo question: "How prejudiced are art critics?" Art writing primarily involves the contextualization of artworks, yet one must also consider prejudicial influences such as the hosting venue's reputation, the artist's education and collectors, and the critic's personal preferences and agenda. Even artistic minds and free spirits risk being vulnerable to status-oriented parameters and implicit biases. It's well documented that the canon of art has been tainted by gender, race, and age discrimination. Is it too much to expect art critics to remain open and unbiased towards the existing sphere of norms within art criticism, while keeping a neutral and impartial gaze when looking and thinking about artworks?

WANT TO READ MORE ON ART APPRECIATION AS PUBLIC VOICING BY TOM VIAENE? CLICK HERE