Ladies and gentlemen, we all have a dream that we share. The dream that one day all of humanity will take an interest in contemporary art. That everyone will buy and collect some kind of contemporary art. In my ideal world, a mixture of Baywatch and Heidegger. And yes, we're on our way. Millions more people are interested in art than once were. There are plans announced every day, it seems, for big new art institutions. But we're not there yet. We're not 100% yet there yet. Far from it. Many of us here with the greatest enthusiasm for art are preventing this dream from happening.
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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