From any standard anthropological point of view, our religion now is science. When we have serious questions about the nature of reality, the person we rely on is a scientist. Although very practical, science has been a very impoverished religion. As a result, we have seen a crisis of meaning become basic to our lives in the 20th century. Yet unlike philosophy, art doesn't speculate, it doesn't assert. And even though this may be hand in glove with its growing market, one cannot deny the engagement of millions of people with art that need to buy, sell and invest.
What is the role of contemporary art museums today? Are biennales and art fairs platforms for experiment and exchange, or little more than social attractions for the elite? Have collectors become the new curators? Are private and corporate interests in culture at odds with the public good? And ultimately, who is art for? In this debate recorded in Hong Kong in 2012, award-winning documentary film-maker, author and art critic, Ben Lewis, and Hong Kong-born artist, Paul Chan, spoke for the motion. Former Director of Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor, and conceptual art pioneer, Joseph Kosuth, spoke against the motion. Our chair was the writer, art market expert and author, Georgina Adam.
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