Presentation and Conversation | General Idea
Against Labour: A Gestural History of the Young Worker. On Artistic Strategies of Unproductivity
With Werker Collective and Georgy Mamedov
Strategy for Industrial Struggle. Mark Fore. Solidarity Pamphlet No. 37. London 1970’s. Amator Archives, Werker Collective, Amsterdam
Unfortunately, Werker Collective cannot be present for the event. Instead, their work On Art Worker Rights (2023) will be screened. Afterwards Zippora Elders, Head of Curatorial Department & Outreach, will engage in a reflection on the work and Werker Collective’s practice. To conclude the one-month presence of Werker’s installation A Gestural History of the Young Worker, the Gropius Bau will open the space for exchange with the audience.
Through its artistic research, Werker Collective investigates patriarchal ideologies that surround the use of archives as instruments of domination. Their work instigates a transformative journey and reshapes archives into dynamic platforms for intersectional and intergenerational self-determination. By initiating collaborative and direct exchanges, they merge historical labour narratives with present-day urgencies to challenge oppressive norms. Developing a queer reading of found images from various sources, the collective’s practice ties in with artist group General Idea’s approach to blended authorship and collective image memory.