Lecture and workshop: Cem A.: Meme-thinking, Meme-making
You are invited to attend a lecture and workshop by Cem A., on Thursday, 25 September 2025, at the MGLC Švicarija in Ljubljana.
Programme:
17.00–18.00, lecture (open to public, no admission)
18.00–19.30, workshop (participation fee is 5 eur, register your place to trgovina@mglc-lj.si)
The programme – organized in collaboration with the MGLC International Centre of Graphic Arts and SCCA/World of Art School – is part of a Critic-in-Residence programme.
Each year, MGLC hosts an international art critic in collaboration with the Igor Zabel Association. In September 2025, Cem A. from Berlin is being hosted on a one-month residency at MGLC Švicarija. Known for running @freeze_magazine, an art meme page on Instagram, Cem A. works at the intersection of art and art criticism, while employing humour and digital tools to challenge and reimagine the structures of the art world.
Meme-thinking, lecture, 17.00–18.00
In this lecture, Cem A. traces his practice from the beginnings of @freeze_magazine to his current projects. He reflects on memes, art criticism, and digital culture, and discusses how his practice has evolved from memes into physical art spaces. Part of the lecture is also sharing insights from his recent writing on "consensus aesthetics," a term he is developing to describe the politics of agreement in contemporary art.
Meme-making, workshop, 18.00–19.30
Following the lecture, registered participants are invited to join a workshop exploring the concept of "meme-thinking." This umbrella term, rooted in cultural and media studies, examines how memes can be both created and understood from an intersectional perspective. The workshop consideres how audiences, instead of remaining passive consumers, can become active participants through meme literacy. The session concludes with a hands-on exercise in creating memes together.
Cem A.'s work explores themes such as virality and performativity, often through collaborative projects. His selected solo exhibitions and interventions include the Barbican Centre, ZKM Karlsruhe, Berlinische Galerie, Louisiana Museum, Künstlerhaus Bethanien and Museum Wiesbaden. His work was also included in documenta fifteen, Istanbul Modern, Mudam Luxembourg, Klima Biennale Vienna, Temporary Gallery and 14th Biennial of Young Artists, Museum of Contemporary Art Skopje. He has held lectures at the Royal College of Art London, HEAD Geneva, KASK Ghent and Universität der Künste Berlin.
The lecture is open to the public, while there are 10 places available for the workshop. Register your place by Monday, 22 September at the following email address: trgovina@mglc-lj.si. The participation fee is 5 eur.