Location
Magdalen College Auditorium
Public Lecture and Film Screening
Through films, sculptures, performances and installations, the artist Jasmina Cibic (b. Ljubljana 1979) explores the operations of soft power since the early twentieth century. Grounded in original research, her work reveals compelling case studies that shed light on how culture has been both harnessed and exploited by ideological and political interests, prompting us to consider more deeply the relationship between ‘statecraft’ and ‘stagecraft’.
In this public lecture, Cibic will discuss recent projects that discern recurring historical patterns and cycles in how culture is instrumentalised in endeavours towards transnationalism and potential multilateral solidarity. Interweaving her immersive installations and cinematic works with archival documents, she will explore settings including the League of Nations (the interwar precursor to the United Nations), the inaugural conference of the Non-Aligned Movement (held in Belgrade in 1961), and national pavilions created for World Expositions during periods of global conflict.
The talk will be followed by a screening of Cibic’s short film The Gift (2021). The project was shot across iconic examples of architecture donated towards overtly political projects, including the French Communist Party Headquarters in Paris (a gift from Oscar Niemeyer, the Brazilian architect, to the Party) and the 25 May Museum in Belgrade (a 70th birthday present from the city to Tito, Yugoslavia’s President). Confronting the theatricality of these spectacular buildings, the film stages a competition between Art, Music and Architecture to determine the perfect gift for a divided nation.
Cibic’s work has been exhibited at galleries and events including the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (Gateshead), the Museum of Contemporary Art (Belgrade), Museum der Moderne (Salzburg), the PHI Foundation for Contemporary Art (Montreal), and the Venice Biennale. The Gift won the Film London Jarman Award 2021.
Further information
Free entry, open to all. Please register for your free ticket in advance on this page:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/magdalen-music/t-qjgmlmk
The Auditorium can be accessed via the Longwall Street entrance to Magdalen College
This event is held in association with the academic symposium ‘Music and Diplomacy in the Long Twentieth Century’ (Magdalen College, 1–2 February) convened by Giles Masters and Bethan Winter, with generous support from the Magdalen College Tutorial Office.