SIAF2020 puts the notion of Art Mediation into practice as an attempt to connect the art festival better with a broader audience. Implementation of this perspective forms the root of the Communication Design section within SIAF2020.
The word ‘mediation’ comes from Latin ‘meidiare’ and it means being in the middle, transmitting a message, negotiating senses. It is understood as a process, a relationship that engages different perspectives. It appears at the intersection of artists, curators, works of art, audience, and institution/organizers.

Starting from that point we can say that the Art Mediation is a flat platform for experiencing, enjoying, and discussing art, while sharing different opinions, knowledge and experiences that people have. It is a complex, multi-layered concept that allows relative approaches. Art Mediation is a dialogical process, a flat non-hierarchical platform welcoming everyone. It focuses on long-term and quality-oriented contact and relations with visitors, creating conditions for new experiences and inspiring further independent research.

Art Mediation perspective was present from the beginning of preparing the program of SIAF2020. Within SIAF2020 we agreed that the whole team working on the festival consisting of directors, curators and office members should deeply understand that without visitors all the efforts in making the festival are useless. Finding out diverse ways to engage audiences of different ages and levels of acquaintance with art became our goal.

We hope that the future editions of SIAF will continue the Art Mediation practice. Also, our ambition is to inspire other institutions and festivals in Sapporo to develop audience-oriented programs.

Magdalena Kreis
SIAF2020 Curator of Art Mediation

Leading up to the SIAF2020, we were organizing artists and curators talks, participatory workshops, guided tours and other activities that would offer diverse ways to experience art and deepen openness to it.
We can not continue these program due to the cancellation of SIAF2020, however, we invite you to join special activities for kids and families that we have prepared for you.