collectives matter not artists

Art does not happen in isolation. While the art world celebrates individual genius, the reality is that cultural work has always been collective – driven by shared resources, mutual inspiration, local support, and collaborative structures. So why do we keep pretending otherwise?

Despite growing attention, collective practices still struggle for recognition. Funders, institutions, and audiences often don’t know how to engage with collective ways of organising, resulting in struggles for collectives to sustain themselves. We want to flip the script: Culture is always built on collectivity. It’s time to acknowledge that.

Join us for an evening of exchange, reflection, music and networking, where everything spins around the core topic of how to work collectively. The event is organised by colectivise.org, a newly created international research collective that aims to understand the magic behind community driven forms of culture.

The event begins at 4:00 PM with open doors and a welcome at the location. From 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Colectivise.org presents research findings on collectives in Tunis and Cairo, followed by a panel discussion with local collective members. A hybrid participation option is available upon request at collectivise@proton.me. From 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, an exhibition walk offers further insights, followed by an intervention by Interference from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The evening concludes with music and an informal gathering from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM.