Can Art be Both Beautiful and Effective?

The Breakfast Club is a series of talks events, presented in partnership with the Next Wave Festival, and held at breakfast time: on weekdays at 8am, on weekends at 10am.

We’re interested in how the world and art collide. In a time of intense political confusion, it’s hard to articulate the changes so many want to see. Artistic practice, with its complex arsenal of the subconscious, is well placed to be a key player.

We’re not interested in expert-led formats; we want big opinions, good discussion and personal stories. And coffee (that’s important).

Each event runs for two hours, and will be punctuated by a series of provocations from artists, key thinkers and our international curators-in-residence.

Arrive at any point. Pull up a chair and a croissant. And dive on in.

‘Artists are the people trying to make meaning in the world, and making meaning in the world is very difficult today because we live in an extremely coercive landscape...’ – Nato Thompson, Chief Curator Creative Time NYC. Next Wave 2012 began with the provocation of generosity and urgency as key issues for contemporary arts practice. The result is a festival with strong political awareness, grounded firmly in discussion not didacticism. What impact does this have? What does it say about the role of artists in society?

Hosted by Joint Artistic Director, Fierce Festival: Harun Morrison

Next Wave artists: Laura Delaney (Hull), Bronwyn Bailey-Charteris and Marcel Cooper (Curators, Bellowing Echoes)

International speakers: Inza Lim (Seoul Marginal Theatre Festival), Ma Yongfeng (Founder/Initiator, Forget Art)

Guest speakers: Cat Jones (Artistic Director, PACT centre for emerging artists)