Experimental Institutionalism: Ecological with Keg de Souza and José Roca

Ecological: Practices and challenges of sustainability Speakers: José Roca and Keg de Souza In this lecture, we are joined by José Roca, Artistic Director of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney, and artist Keg de Souza, with a focus on the practices and challenges of sustainability. Roca’s presentation questions whether biennales are sustainable, sharing the processes, curatorial considerations and some of the challenges faced in developing the 23rd Biennale of Sydney. de Souza’s presentation is centred on ‘Ecologies of Place,’ exploring the importance of community, place, and collaboration in relation to their recent work 'Not a drop to drink' 2021, followed by a discussion on building and imagining a more sustainable future for the arts. This program is part of ACCA’s 2021 Lecture Series, Experimental Institutionalism: Contemporary Art and Curatorial Ecologies, which delves into the artistic, curatorial, organisational and institutional models in which artists, curators and producers reflect and shape the role of contemporary art practice. José Roca is a Colombian curator living and working in Sydney. He is currently the Artistic Director of FLORA ars+natura, an independent space for contemporary art in Bogotá. Roca was recently appointed as Artistic Director of the 23rd Biennale of Sydney in 2022. For a decade, he managed the arts program at Banco de la República in Bogotá. Roca was previously Estrellita B. Brodsky Adjunct Curator of Latin American Art for the Tate, London, and for a decade oversaw the arts program at the Museo del Banco de la República in Bogotá, establishing the institution as one of the most respected in Latin America. Keg de Souza lives and works in Sydney on unceded Gadigal land and uses mediums such as; temporary architecture, food, mapping and dialogical projects to explore the poetics and politics of space. This investigation of social and spatial environments is influenced by formal training in architecture and experiences of radical spaces through squatting and organising. Keg often creates site and situation specific projects with people, with an emphasis on knowledge exchange. These often manifest as temporary architectures that become framing devices to host pedagogical platforms, centring voices that are often marginalised, for learning about place.