On Wednesday 20 April the next seminar in the series Work in Progress in the Social Studies will be given by Raphael Vella, Faculty of Education.  He will address the question Contemporary Art: Public Relations or Public Nuisance?

A bit of both, according to his paper, which focuses on the relationship between the contemporary artist, the work of art and the public.  The subject is explored via different examples, from controversies about Holocaust memorials to irreverent approaches to religion in Maltese contemporary art.  The thought of French philosopher Jean-François Lyotard provides a theoretical backdrop against which these examples are set.  It opposes  the notion of cultural stability with an incisive defence of avant-garde experimentation in the arts.

The seminar will be held between 1800hrs and 1930hrs in Room 124, Mediterranean Institute (by the Arvid Pardo Study Area opposite the University Library). Entrance from Carpark 4. The public is cordially welcome.

Convenors
Dr Paul Clough (Mediterranean Institute) tel: 21582992; e-mail: paul.clough@um.edu.mt
Dr Mark Anthony Falzon (Faculty of Arts)  e-mail: mark-anthony.falzon@um.edu.mt
Professor Peter Mayo (Faculty of Education) e-mail: peter.mayo@um.edu.mt