2022–ongoing

Commons • Art

A forthcoming platform that facilitates and supports the creative and social caretaking of art as a way of generating new commons.

Commons • Art responds to an existing paradox: while any substantial social impact requires long-term collective engagement, art can only participate in the closed, short-term economy of the “art world.” This economy is fueled by unique artist profiles, a constant chain of new productions, and perpetuated by the reticent modus operandi of institutions and funders. Meanwhile, pre-colonial culture has shown how art can be well-maintained and practiced by a community over generations while serving them.

On the Commons • Art platform, artists will be connected with caretakers from within and beyond the field of art. Caretakers are change-seeking or socially caring initiatives and initiators who find artworks/projects on the platform for future use, care and maintenance. The toolkit – including recipes, artist licenses, and forms of reporting – will guide caretakers to deploy art for different daily and social purposes in sustainable, joyful and imaginative ways.

By distributing the resources based on digital technology like the decentralized mechanism of NFTs and DAOs, communities sit at the table of discourse with artists, institutions, funders and policymakers. Commons • Art’s sustainable economic and maintenance model of art  provides a constructive proposal to recalibrate the power structures within art and beyond. 

Currently, Commons Art is its first project phases. Until the launch (2025) of the platform, Commons • Art will share the research and work in process through different communal or public occasions.

For more information, background and how to engage with Commons • Art please visit the official website.


Colophon:

Founding institutions
Casco Art Institute, documenta Institute

Co-initiators
Yin Aiwen, Binna Choi

Editors
Rosa Paardenkooper, Staci Bu Shea

Critical friends
Arts Collaboratory, F.A.M (Feminist Art Maintenance supported by the Royal Institute of Art Stockholm), Open Collective, Asociación de Arte Útil, You Mi, Arthur Steiner, Grégory Castéra, Dutch Art Institute (DAI), AFIELD

Branding, visual strategy & web design
Vandejong (Floris van Driel)

The initiation of the project is made possible in the framework of the research project Contemporary Commoning supported by the Smart Culture programme of NWO (Dutch Research Council). The 2023 research is financially supported by The Supporting Act Foundation.

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