Augusta Atla enjoyed a residency at Wassard Elea in 2014. She is an active visual artist, debater, poet and writer, based in Denmark. She recently participated in a public debate on the Danish Constitution Day (Grundlovsdag) entitled “ART, IDENTITY AND BOYCOTT: WHERE IS THE LINE FOR CULTURAL EXCLUSION?” She is giving a lecture entitled “The Great Erasure” on July 22 in Læsø, Denmark.
“The political aspect [of art] doesn’t have to be the literal content of the artwork; it can be the very fact that the viewer has to think for themselves. “
Augusta Atla
“My own writing. debates, and artworks aim to ensure that the art scene does not censor or polarize itself – as it has done for thousands of years with women artists
Augusta Atla
or reduce artworks to mere utilitarian objects or parts of the culture industry, controlled by social or value-political forces. Both tendencies are directly contrary to the essence of art. The zone of art must remain a free space for all voices. An artist can even create an artwork they do not personally agree with; this is very important, as it makes art a space for reflection rather than propaganda. Let art remain a zone for human rights.”
Augusta Atla works actively to support women artists, preserve artistic freedom (for all genders and ethnicities), and promote transnational dialogue and diversity of opinion within the arts. She strives to preserve the free zone of art as a space for deep dialogue, thereby ensuring that artists are neither reduced to their nationality nor equated automatically with the politics of their country. Her idea is that the artist always lives in exile, either physically or intellectually: that is the zone of free art.
https://www.augustaatla.com/