Guest Speakers

FREDA GUTTMAN

Panelist
Installation Artist ~ Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Freda Guttman, an installation artist from Montreal, has worked for over 40 years exploring ways to make a political context for her art and that of others - one that eludes the 'art scene' and reaches outward to implicate a much broader audience in pressing political issues: the ethnic cleansing of the Mayan people of Guatemala in the 80's; the dangers of nuclear weapons; the global politics of food production and distribution; the ongoing brutal occupation of Palestine. In this endeavour, she has often worked with grassroots organizations. She visited Palestine several times as an international volunteer and will return for three months this summer.

Her latest work, entitled "Notes From The 20th”, is a work of five installations, done over a period of 10 years. With 20th Century historical events in the background, such as the rise of Hitler and the 2nd World War, Guttman looks at her own life and the social and political forces that formed her. Influenced by the writings of Walter Benjamin, "Notes From The 20th” examines the never-ending cycles of war and violence that plague humanity, on into the 21st Century. As Benjamin tells us, we must awaken from our collective dream world in order to bring an end to our self-imposed destructiveness.