Sustainability and future space (within the context of the tension between conservatism and liberalism)

As one of the largest festivals of contemporary art in the Baltic States and Northern Europe, the Sculpture Quadrennial continues to follow its original concept, namely, to encourage inter cultural communication by shedding light on various cultural barriers and, now in 2016, focusing also on the clash between conservatism and liberalism in both the private and public spheres. The quadrennial creates a platform for looking at ideas from both sides and allows them to exhibit themselves, thereby promoting understanding of the fundamental values that form each side’s identity.

The authors of the project’s concept hope that people will come to their own conclusions about the eternal opposites of conservatism and liberalism, which at once attract and repel each another. In organizing the Sculpture Quadrennial, we offer our cooperation partners a platform that includes an exhibition of contemporary artwork representing and highlighting the values of both of these sides. Thus, the different values can be observed from the outside looking in, while also leaving room for a dialogue about art, for example, do these two sides really conflict with each other, and could one side exist without the other? How far can contemporary freedoms evolve without a traditional base? How do conservatism and liberalism develop and evolve?

Together with cooperation partners, artists and artwork representing the two opposites are selected for the quadrennial’s exhibition. We believe society must analyse these opposites and that ideas from both sides must be shown.

The exhibition takes place both indoors and outdoors

The events planned within the project – anthropological studies, conferences and an exhibition catalogue – interpret and encourage the public’s understanding about the coexistence of and mutual interaction between conservatism and liberalism.