BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID:-//Grails iCalendar plugin//NONSGML Grails iCalendar plugin//EN VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260930T130454Z DTSTART;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20120225T090000 DTEND;TZID=Asia/Kolkata:20120227T113000 SUMMARY:The End of Art and the Promise of Beauty UID:20261004T211810Z-iCalPlugin-Grails@fe80:0:0:0:ac83:5bff:fea0:108%3 TZID:Asia/Kolkata LOCATION:India Habitat Centre\, New Delhi\, India DESCRIPTION:

The German philosopher G.W.F. Hegel \nfamously claimed that\, by the late nineteenth century\, art had both \nfulfilled and exhausted its role in the progressive realization of the \nhuman spirit\, being superseded by conceptual knowledge. \; Accordingly\, \nHegel predicted that the history of art\, and the central role art had \nplayed in past ages\, was coming to an end\, as art would no longer serve \nany important purpose in the modern world. \; The theme of the end of art \nhas since been addressed by a number of philosophers and art critics. \; \nAt the same time\, in shedding everyday utility\, sensory pleasures\, and \neven emotional and spiritual content\, art has become narrower and more \nelite\, and its nature has becom increasingly problematized with beauty \nlosing its place in both the definition and practice of art.

Strikingly\, however\, the discussion around these themes has remained \nhighly Eurocentric\, as was Hegel&rsquo\;s original thesis about the end of art\,\n involving little or no informed engagement with the vast array of \naesthetic traditions and practices existing outside the Euro-American \ncontext. \; It has arguably been selective and partial in its analysis of \nWestern aesthetic traditions as well\, making some questionable \nassumptions about the nature and purpose of art\, which have then formed \nthe basis for claims and counter-clams about art&rsquo\;s historical trajectory\n and possible demise. \; Taking place in Delhi\, India\, this international \nseminar seeks to expand the debate by offering a greater variety of \nperspectives\, arising from multiple traditions and practices\, on the \npossible &ldquo\;ends&rdquo\; &ndash\; the purposes and destinies &ndash\; of art\, with a focus on \nthe character and value of beauty in relation to art. \; Beauty is \nfundamental to traditional Indian art forms and reflections on \naesthetics\, where it is often interpreted as a bridge between the \nsensuous and the spiritual\, integrating both within the experience of a \ntransformative joy or Ananda. The seminar especially aims to \nbring these classical Indian views on the phenomenon of beauty into \ndialogue with Western counterparts\, while keeping an eye on syncretic \nand integrative ideas for the future.

With this orientation\,\n the seminar will consist of panels and presentations on art and \nmodernity\, Indian and Western aesthetic theories\, the relation between \nart and the sacred\, and between art and everyday life. \; \; An important \nsubject will be the distinction between art and craft\, a distinction the\n seminar will examine critically through analyses of decorative\, \nfunctional and tribal arts. \; Invitees include not only theorists of art\,\n but also creators\, performers\, educationists\, innovative thinkers\, and \ncurators\, in order to foster open and accessible conversations between \nindividuals seriously engaged with art and beauty in a variety of ways.

ORGANIZER;CN=Sonia Sikka;CN=Shakti Maira: METHOD:PUBLISH END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR