Why do we need art? How is it connected to politics? How do we make use of facts? How can we dare to judge ethical matters if we continue to misuse religious texts for political reasons? The political thinker and philosopher Hannah Arendt has a surprising suggestion – only art can save us from ourselves!

Gertrud Sandqvist is a professor in the theory and history of ideas of visual art at Malmö Art Academy, Lund University, Sweden. Between 1995 and 2007 she was Dean at Malmö Art Academy. She is one of the founding members of EARN, European Art Research Network and was a member of the jury of DAAD–Berliner Künstlerprogramm 1998-2002. She co-curated in 2010 the exhibitions Modernaut- ställningen, Moderna Museet, Stockholm and the Gothenburg Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2011.

The lecture will be in English and takes place in the context of Caspar Hall’s exhibition phoenix dactylifera, which runs until 08.01.2012.