3 December 2026
6.30pm - 9pm

What Temporalities for Art in Public Space? | Public Talk

What is the relationship to time of artworks intended for public spaces? What factors come into play when considering an artwork’s lifespan? How do research, artists, and cultural policies approach these questions?

These themes will be explored on Thursday, 3 December, at 6:30 pm at Uni Mail (Boulevard du Pont-d’Arve 40, Geneva, Room MS160), during an evening co-organised by the Fonds cantonal d’art contemporain (FCAC – Cantonal Contemporary Art Fund), the Fonds municipal d’art contemporain (FMAC – Municipal Contemporary Art Fund) and the Art-Law Foundation (FDA).

The evening follows the petition “Save Geneva’s Illuminated Artworks”, which raised questions about the Neon Parallax public art programme, jointly run by the FCAC and the FMAC, and about Pinta Cura, an artwork in the FMAC collection. It will broaden the debate, allowing reflection and discussion from multiple perspectives.

Free and open to all, the event will begin with the lecture “L’art public à l’épreuve du temps et des mobilisations” by Julie Bawin, researcher and specialist in public art. It will continue with a roundtable moderated by journalist Florence Grivel, bringing together lawyer Anne Laure Bandle, sociologist Luca Pattaroni, New Patrons mediator Benoît Antille, Simon Lamunière of the Néons Publics association, and Julie Bawin. This discussion will be preceded by a presentation on the two Funds’ areas of focus in public art, particularly their temporary installation schemes.

Conceived as a time for reflection and dialogue, this event will offer an opportunity to understand better the issues surrounding the temporalities of public artworks. The discussions will address the artistic, legal, financial, and political questions linked to their maintenance, as well as how the public receives them and the emotions they evoke.

 

Programme :

  • 6pm : Welcome (Room MS160)
  • 6:30pm: « L’art public à l’épreuve du temps et des mobilisations », lecture by Julie Bawin, Professor of Contemporary Art History, University of Liège
  • 7:05pm : Presentation of the Contemporary Art Funds’ work by Diane Daval, Head of the FCAC, and Camille Abele, Head of the FMAC
  • 7:30pm : Roundtable and discussion, moderated by Florence Grivel, journalist
  • 8:20pm : Closing remarks
  • 8:30pm : Drinks reception

 

Roundtable speakers:

  • Benoît Antille, mediator for New Patrons Switzerland, Associate Professor at HES at EDHEA, independent curator
  • Anne Laure Bandle, lawyer, Director of the Art-Law Foundation
  • Julie Bawin, Professor of Contemporary Art History at the University of Liège, Director of the Musée en plein air du Sart Tilman (MACPA), Chair of the FNRS Research Group “Museums and Contemporary Art”
  • Simon Lamunière, Secretary of the Néons Publics association, independent curator
  • Luca Pattaroni, Professor of Urban Sociology and Co-Director of the Laboratory of Urban Sociology (EPFL)
  • With contributions from artist Frédéric Post, the SNAPP Néons association, and HEAD.

 

This event is free of charge. Please confirm your attendance using the registration link.

 

 

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