Serubiri Moses

What is the role of collaborative research in contemporary museum practice? How can an art institution support research in the arts and humanities? These are some of the questions that were sent to a panel of interlocutors—among them multi-disciplinary researchers, curators, and art managers. Their responses are presented in the form of a discourse about contemporary art institutions and research; its focus is on how art institutions can generate knowledge, support research, and build inclusive environments. 

In this essay, the author discusses the reader that accompanied the South African Pavilion at the 58th Venice International Art Biennale—The Stronger We Become: The South African Pavilion (edited by Nkule Mabaso and Nomusa Makhubu). The author concludes that the book argues for ‘epistemic justice’ and that resilience in art can be understood as positive (resilience through laughter) or negative (resilience through neoliberal absorption).