Dennis Elbers is een beeldend kunstenaar, curator en organisator uit Breda. Hij is oprichter en
curator van Graphic Matters, een platform dat het werk van visueel eigenzinnige, maatschappelijk
betrokken en/of sociaalkritische vormgevers zichtbaar maakt. Met een beleefbare programmering en presentaties in de openbare ruimte prikkelt Graphic Matters vakgenoten en jongeren om samen kritisch te kijken naar visuele cultuur en communicatie.
Symposium on contemporary actvism in art and in par,cular graphic art. With artists and experts Florian Cramer, Hester Scheurwater, Domenique Himmelsbach-de Vries, Joyce Gülay and Jan-Dirk de Wilde (KNUST, Extrapool), Carol Wells (Centre for the Study of Poli,cal Graphics, USA), Dennis Elbers (Graphic MaVers), a performance by Vølksamt!, and hosts Topp & Dubio.
Background
Background This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Grafische Werkplaats. In 1974, a group of artists squatted the building on the Prinsegracht out of a need for workspace. For decades now, it has been the leading makers' and expertise centre for graphic printing techniques in The Hague. You can come here to work or learn, but also to meet colleagues, see exhibitions and keep up to date with the latest developments in graphic design. The Grafische Werkplaats has activist roots and users still feel closely connected to the place. In 2012, they successfully campaigned for the survival of the Werkplaats. This sense of connection and activism is very much alive in society and in the art world in 2024. This year, therefore, a special edition of the annual Analog festival will take place, to celebrate 50 years of Grafische Werkplaats: Analog 74-24, with the theme Activism and Community.
Activism in Print
The kick-off of Analog 74-24 will take place in the auditorium of WEST (former US embassy) with the symposium Activism in Print. During the symposium, experts and artists will give their views on contemporary activism in art and specifically in graphic art. Graphic art has traditionally been used to spread ideas and ideals, because you can work quickly and in print runs. Think of posters, pamphlets, zines, and wall journals. In the digital age, however, creatives do not appreciate the speed, but the tactility of graphic techniques. The central question is: How do graphic techniques relate to activism in 2024? How do artists use graphic art to respond to the major ecological and social challenges of our time? And how is graphic art used for collective action and initiatives?