Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie

Class inevitably raises awkward questions for the protagonists of contemporary art -- about their backgrounds, patrons and ideological proclivities. Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie investigates this latent yet easily overlooked issue, which has been historically eclipsed by gender, sexuality, ethnicity and nationality. This book creates a conversation on a sensitive subject, bringing together essays by art-world types including artists, curators and critics. On one hand, the ideas here raise the question of whether a given socio-economic background still helps define an artistic career -- and to which point this career might reflect or consolidate the hierarchies in question. On the other hand, the project asks whether the traditional ways of analyzing class structure are actually helpful in an examination of who makes art today.

This essay was developed from a talk given at ‘Gasworks’ gallery on 27 January 2007, connected with the international touring exhibition/research project ‘Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie’.

The talk at Gasworks Gallery:

How exactly, and to what extent does class play a role in the production, direction, criticality and dissemination of contemporary art? Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie is an ambitious, year-long exhibition and research project led by Gasworks and touring to other institutions internationally in 2007. The project investigates the latent issue of class underlying contemporary art. It is an open question, an invitation to a discussion long overdue, and offers no foregone conclusions other than the relevance of class itself.

Curated by Nav Haq and Tirdad Zolghadr, Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie will present a series of exhibitions and events, as well as concurrently commissioning research into the subject. The projects will involve a number of newly commissioned works specifically produced for the context of each location.

Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie aims to investigate the manner in which socioeconomic background still defines one’s career – and to what point this career might reflect or consolidate the very hierarchies in question. Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie will also ask whether the traditional analytical tools at our disposal are helpful in such an examination of the art world today.

What tendencies and antagonisms would an analysis of the backgrounds, patrons and ideological partialities of those within contemporary art reveal? Would this perhaps tell us why the issue of class has been so easily overlooked in the production and presentation of contemporary art? The participating artists have not necessarily been chosen for a specific engagement with issues of class within their work; rather they have been selected for their particular methodologies, their ability to analyse the politics involved and for having the background knowledge and tact to tread a fine line between provocation and hard-hitting pertinence.

Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie will be presented at Gasworks, November 10, 2006 – January 14, 2007. It will be followed by new presentations at Platform Garanti, Istanbul; and will then move to venues in Stockholm and Cairo.

Tirdad Zolghadr is a curator, critic and film-maker based in Zurich. Recent curatorial projects include Ethnic Marketing, at the Kunsthalle Geneva, and the 7th International Sharjah Biennial. He is further active as a member of the Shahrzad Art & Design Collective, and is a contributing editor of Bidoun magazine.

Nav Haq is curator at Gasworks. He is presently a guest editor at Book Works, and has also recently been appointed curator of the 3rd Contour Biennial for Video Art, Belgium. He has also contributed to magazines such as Art Review, Bidoun and Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art.

Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie launched in July with a special broadcast by Dirk Fleischmann as part of Radio Gallery on Resonance FM. Radio Gallery was curated by Anna Colin.

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