Open Call: Art Criticism Training | (In)Visible Traces: Artistic Memories of the Cold War

Open Call for Art Critics: How to Write About  Cold War Heritage in the Contemporary Context?

Mentorship: Kathrin Heinrich & Kate Sutton
Workshop dates: 11.11. & 12.11.2024

Deadline: 25.10.2024

We invite art critics, curators, art historians, heritage researchers, and other cultural professionals from Europe* to apply for a specialized training program focused on writing about Contemporary art against the backdrop of (Vienna’s) Cold-War heritage like policies, monuments, and architectural and cultural sites.

Participants will enhance their skills in critically analyzing and interpreting art and cultural heritage connected to the Cold-War period. Over two days, two experts will guide the participants through a series of knowledge-sharing sessions, methodologies, and practical experiences, enhancing their writing skills in art criticism. The training will particularly focus on the intersection between cultural heritage and politics, highlighting Cold War heritage sites as a shared European resource for artistic interpretation and collective memory. 

The training is organized by BLOCKFREI organization as part of the Creative Europe project (In)Visible Traces: Artistic Memories of the Cold War and is co-funded by the European Union.  

Training Details: 

• Location: DAS WEISSE HAUS, Hegelgasse 14, 1010 Vienna, Austria 
• Dates: November 11-12, 2024 
• Participants: Six Europe-based participants and two Austria-based participants will be selected 
• Covered Costs:
  -Training fees Catering during the training will be provided. 
  -Accommodation in Vienna for three nights for participants traveling outside of Vienna 
  -Travel reimbursement for return tickets to and from Vienna (air/train/bus), based on the participant’s country of origin, in line with EU Commission regulations. 
  

Objectives: 

• To deepen participants’ understanding of methodologies for interpreting Cold War cultural heritage in contemporary contexts. 
• To enhance skills in art criticism, with a focus on the intersection of cultural heritage and politics. 
• To promote Cold War cultural heritage as a shared European resource for artistic interpretation and collective memory. 
• To foster international collaboration among emerging professionals. 

Format: 
The two-day intensive training will be led by experienced art critics and lecturer mentors Kate Sutton and Kathrin Heinrich, and will feature: 

• Theoretical and practical sessions 
• Discussions on creative interpretations of Cold War-related art and heritage sites 
• Collaboration on articles for publication 

Target Group: 
This open call is for art critics, curators, art historians, and other professionals with a strong interest in Cold War heritage, art, and politics of memory. 

Application Process: 
To apply, please submit: 

• A one-page motivational letter outlining your idea for a text that addresses a Cold War topic, a heritage site, or an artwork in Vienna (or elsewhere)
• Biography (up to 1 page) 

More about the mentors:
Kathrin Heinrich is an art historian and critic based in Vienna with a background in art history and comparative literature. She currently holds a position in research support at the University for Music and Performing Arts and studies as a doctoral student at the University of Applied Arts, where she has been intermittently working as a researcher and lecturer since 2020. Her writing has been published in newspapers and magazines like Der Standard, Süddeutsche Zeitung, springerin, Texte zur Kunst, and frieze. In 2018, she was awarded the AICA Austria Prize for Young Art Criticism.

Kate Sutton is a writer based in Zagreb, Croatia, after nearly a decade in Russia, where she helped found the non-profit art space Baibakov Art Projects. As a curator, she helped bring artists like Paul Pfeiffer, Cyprien Gaillard, Latifa Echakhch, Wade Guyton, and Luc Tuymans to Moscow, while also showcasing Russian artists including Ira Korina, Olga Chernysheva, and Valery Chtak. A recipient of an Andy Warhol Foundation Creative Capital Art Writers Grant for short-form criticism, she has written for magazines including Artforum, Bookforum, Bidoun, Frieze, Ibraaz, and LEAP, and penned catalogue essays for artists including Emilija Škarnulytė, Monster Chetwynd, Nilbar Güreş, Aslı Çavuşoğlu, Monica Bonvicini, Dorian Gaudin, Basim Magdy, Stefan Sava, and Martin Roth. From 2018 until October 2023, she served as associate editor for Artforum, where she helped the magazine to expand its international representation and take on new voices. For 2019-2020, she was a resident professor of the WHW Akademija, in collaboration with David Maljković and is currently a resident professor for the program’s 2024 edition. She is also currently overseeing publications and communications for Vlatka Horvat’s project for the Croatian Pavilion of the 60th Venice Biennale and serving as managing editor for Sanja Iveković’s forthcoming catalogue raisonné.


For questions and submissions, please email info@blockfrei.org 
For more information about the project, please visit the page of the lead project partner, DOCUMENTA – Center for Dealing with the Past. 

We look forward to your applications! 

* Europe* – EU countries + for more detailed information on eligibility, please read this: list-3rd-country-participation_crea_en