Crit Club is a performance by Cem A. where two teams debate an unrealistic question about art. We are often stuck between the binary of praise and non-engagement in the art sphere where people are increasingly hesitant to inhabit spaces of disagreement.

In the context of this performance, participants are humorously invited to engage in what could be termed a contextual performance—a departure from their usual roles as artists or curators, aimed at broadening their perspectives and bolstering their influence within their community. As the performance progresses, guests are challenged to navigate uncharted waters through roleplay and quick thinking, grappling with existential inquiries such as: Does their expertise illuminate the issue at hand, or does it falter in the face of adversity? Can they uphold their understanding of art world dynamics in a doomsday scenario? Do they embrace the given scenario, or do they seek to defy the confines imposed by the moderator? 

By proposing an impossible-to-answer question, Crit Club creates a situation where ostensibly there’s nothing at stake – or so it seems.

Past speakers include Nikola Bojić, Kate Brown, Kara Chin, Ben Davis, Övül Ö. Durmuşoğlu, Özge Ersoy, Bettina Freimann, Moshtari Hilal, Steph Huang, Jitish Kallat, Renzo Martens, Molemo Moiloa, Ahmet Öğüt, Lucia Pietroiusti, Farid Rakun, Nora Sternfeld, Karim Sultan, Wang Tuo, Mi You and Abbas Zahedi.

Should All Artworks Be Publicly Owned or Privately Owned? (forthcoming)

with Özge Ersoy and Molemo Moiloa

The Couch by Het HEM, Zaandam, October 2024

Crit Club Workshop

as a part of Experimental Publics Symposium

documenta Institut, Kassel, October 2024 

Is Technology Good for the Arts?

with Nikola Bojić, Bettina Freimann, Fette Sans and Abbas Zahedi

Organ Vida Festival, Zagreb, September 2024

Crit Club Workshop 

as a part of Para Site Alternative School

Curated by Alice Wong and Stephanie Bailey in collaboration with Billy Tang, Celia Ho, Jessie Kwok, and Stefan Luk

Para Site, Hong Kong, September 2024

If you had to choose, would you keep the Venice Biennial or all other biennials?

with Ben Davis and Mi You

The Couch by Het HEM, Zaandam, September 2024

If one had to choose, should artworks be preserved or recycled after exhibiting?

with Farid Rakun and Övül Ö. Durmuşoğlu

The Couch by Het HEM, Zaandam, June 2024

What matters more: Artists or Artworks?

with Kara Chin, Jitish Kallat, Wang Tuo and Steph Huang, curated by Stephanie Bailey

Art Basel Hong Kong, Hong Kong, March 2024

Should art be sold for profit?
Should you know the artist while looking at an artwork?

with Kate Brown, Moshtari Hilal, Ahmet Öğüt and Abbas Zahedi

Trauma Bar, Berlin, March 2024

Should museums exhibit only living artists or dead artists?

with Lucia Pietroiusti and Nora Sternfeld

The Couch by Het HEM, Zaandam, December 2023

If you had to choose, would you stop moving all artworks or selling or artworks?

with Renzo Martens and Karim Sultan

The Couch by Het HEM, Zaandam, October 2023