Inspired by Leslie Skler’s work on the icon project, the lecture of Nevena Novaković “Iron Law of Neoliberalism: Iconic Architecture and Museum Commercialization as an Effect of Global Cultural and Economic Shifts on the Local Context” will be devoted to the effects of cultural and economic globalization. Namely, the standpoint of the lecture is that museums, as a contemporary place of intertwining of the economic and highly cultural spheres of human activity, become homogenous.
Also in local (Serbian) contexts they „copy“ economic models from the countries of the world center, and by doing so apply neoliberal practice in every field of work. Choosing museums allows us to see on the one hand, influence of economy on the cultural field, and by that also the capilar spreading of the neoliberal logic in yet another social sphere. On the other hand, if the organization of museum activity (now highly business) accepts contemporary global practices, that tells us a lot about the power and impact of globalizing processes on the local context. Lastly, the icon project shows that global, architectural, cultural and economic dimension is widely applyed in the work of all important institutions in their desperate adaptation to commercial logic.
The aim of this lectures is promoting new researchers and familiarization with their previous work.
