The visual assembly develops as a network of cooperation and solidarity with people representing different interests and disciplines.
Nika Dubrovsky is a writer and artist, author of the Anthropology for Kids project – an online open-source platform experimenting with new forms of work between the academy and contemporary art. Nika writes for such publications as eflux, artnet, her books have been published in Russian, Finish, English, Polish and now in Japanese.
David Graeber (1961-2020) was an anthropologist and sometime activist, who lives in London. He’s written on value, work, magic, kings, slavery, direct action, and a host of other topics, though he’s probably best known for “Debt: the First 500 Years” and “Bullshit Jobs”, as well as participating in a variety of mobilizations from the Global Justice movement to the present.
David and I come up with the idea of Visual Assembly as a reaction to the Corona Virus’s lockdown and develop ideas about a series of essays for e-flux “Another Artworld” (or “Art Communism).”
The first V-A took place at the Portabello Road Market square in London during the first lockdown.
The second V-A was planned for 11-10-2020 in Graz, Austria.
David died a month earlier in a hospital in Venice.
Instead of doing Visual Assembly with David, we joined the world for #Carnival4David and then have started an initiative called the Museum of Care.
On 22-10-2021, we will invite everyone to come together to hold the International Visual Assembly as part of the Museum of Care and David Graeber Foundation initiative. The Assembly will take place in Madrid in front of Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.