SOOLO / George Steinmann Lecture and Concert
As part of the SOLO concert series, please join us for a concert and lecture by artist and blues musician George Steinmann on Sunday, 6 November at 4 pm! In 1995, the Tallinn Art Hall exhibition spaces were restored as an artwork by George Steinmann and re-opened to the audience as a pure and empty experience of a tidied-up space. The Revival of Space was an unprecedented event in our art scene – an artwork as a gift and shared gesture. Now, 27 years later, before the major renovation works of the historic building, Steinmann is closing a chapter in the history of Tallinn Art Hall.
George Steinmann introduces his lecture and performance as follows: “Arts and culture matter. Even in conflict situations, they are anything but a luxury. The promotion of arts and culture holds great potential for conflict prevention and transformation, as well as for post-conflict reconstruction. Guided by the conviction that art can change individual lives, strengthen social cohesion, bring about transformation and build bridges, art is a characteristic and indicator of change. I believe that our society, together with state- and academic agencies, should include artists in the debate on future viability.”
George Steinmann is a truly transdisciplinary wanderer and mediator between the fields of art, ethics, philosophy, natural science, ecology, but also society, economy, and politics. For Steinmann, transdisciplinarity has for many years been a tool for revealing the boundaries of the individual disciplines, for exploiting their potential in joint action and for producing new knowledge. To achieve this, he involves all genres, be it architecture, photography, video, installations, interventions or even blues music. With his art, which is to be seen as a critical strategy of a holistic perception, Steinmann exposes the problems, shows the interconnectedness of the different disciplines, and also offers solutions.
George Steinmann, born 1950, is a visual artist and musician based in Berne, Switzerland. He studied painting, sound, Afro-American history and Native American history in Basel and San Francisco. His artistic practice is research-oriented and involves fieldwork where he investigates climate change, biodiversity and the ecologies of forests and water. A special focus is on the interconnectedness of art, science and indigenous people’s knowledge.
Steinmann has been creating transdisciplinary projects and multimedia exhibitions worldwide since 1979. Since 1966 he is also performing as musician. In 2018 he received the Grand Prix for Culture from the City of Thun, Switzerland, in 2011 a Doctor Honoris Causa from the philosophical-historical faculty of the University of Berne and 2001 the Swiss Grand Art Award, Prix Meret Oppenheim. Steinmann is a researcher and lecturer in Europe, USA, Mexico and Asia on aspects of contemporary art and science and the relationship of art-culture and sustainability.
The duration of the event is ca 1h. The lecture will be held in English.
The SOLO concerts are organised in collaboration with the Tallinn Art Hall; curator Robert Jürjendal.
The ticket revenue will be donated to support the people of Ukraine with the help of the Ukrainian Cultural Centre.
Tallinn Art Hall accessibility and ticket info: https://www.kunstihoone.ee/en/visitor-information/
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