Guy Cools: "Performing Mourning"

On the occasion of his new book, "Performing Mourning, Laments in Contemporary Art", the Vienna-based dance dramaturg Guy Cools will discuss contemporary art practices in literature, visual and performing arts that use mourning as a source for activism. Using the tradition of the Greek “moiroloi” (laments) as a template, Cools will discuss how many artistic expressions can be considered contemporary laments. Referencing Judith Butler’s notion of “equal grievability”, Cools will focus on a younger generation of artists who are dealing with “climate grief” or forms of state violence and lament their future.

Guy Cools will give a performance/lecture to sketch the context of his book, and after a short break, the programme will be continued by an illustrated lecture with examples from one chapter of his book "Lamenting the Future".