Noorderzon Talk| How can art transform the way we see the world?

Marco Mendonça and Ant Hampton explore how art can reveal the hidden systems, assumptions, and structures that shape our lives. Together with philosopher Thijs Lijster, they discuss what is made visible, what remains hidden, and how art can transform the way we see the world.

What do we rather not see?

Some systems function precisely because we fail to notice them. From racist stereotypes to automated decision-making, many of the forces that shape our lives remain largely invisible—until someone brings them into view. In their work, Marco Mendonça and Ant Hampton (both appearing at Noorderzon this year) explore how art can expose hidden structures, assumptions, and mechanisms, making tangible what usually remains unseen.

In Blackface, Marco Mendonça examines how racial stereotypes, representation, and historical power structures continue to shape the way we see one another. Using the format of a late-night talk show, he opens up an uncomfortable yet necessary conversation. In All the Downtime, Ant Hampton investigates how automation, technology, and consumerism influence our everyday lives, as well as our ideas about work, time, and what it means to be human.

Joining them is philosopher Thijs Lijster, whose work explores how culture, ideology, and aesthetics shape our understanding of the world, and how art and critical thought can help us see it differently. Together, they examine how visibility and invisibility are never neutral, but political and aesthetic choices: what is shown, what remains hidden, and who gets to decide.