On the occasion of his new book, Performing Mourning, Laments in Contemporary Art, the Vienna based dance dramaturg Guy Cools will discuss contemporary art practices in literature, visual and performing arts that use mourning as a source for activism. Using the tradition of the Greek moiroloi (laments) as a template, Cools will discuss how many artistic expressions can be considered contemporary laments. Referencing Judith Butler’s notion of ‘equal grievability’, Cools will focus on a younger generation of artist who dealing with ‘climate grief’ or forms of state violence, lament their future.
Guy Cools will give a performance/lecture (40 min) to sketch the context of his book, and after a short break, the programme will be continued by an illustrated lecture with examples from one chapter from his book: Lamenting the Future (30 min)
In partnership with Valiz Amsterdam.
Guy Cools is a is a Belgian dance dramaturge, currently living in Vienna. He has worked as a dance critic and curator. He now dedicates himself to production dramaturgy and research/writing. He regularly lectures and publishes internationally (In-between Dance Cultures, Valiz 2015; Imaginative Bodies, Valiz 2016; The Ethics of Art (co-ed.), Valiz, 2014, The Choreopolitics of Alain Platel’s les ballets C de la B, Bloomsbury 2019 (co-ed.).