Whether we are artists, photographers, or writers, how can we organise our practice in an age of total uncertainty? One classic method is so simple that it doesn’t seem worth mentioning—writing notes or reminders to yourself. Then again, if everything is uncertain and it is not clear what tomorrow will bring, what is the point of sending ourselves a message in the future. This lecture discusses the ancient Greek concept of fate, Marx’s philosophy of history, and contemporary philosophies of ‘radical contingency’, in the context of the ongoing collaboration between writer Max L. Feldman and visual artist James Lewis, whose ‘hints’ to himself form an essential part of his practice.
Max L. Feldman is a writer and art critic based in Vienna. His writing has appeared in ArtAgenda, ArtForum, FlashArt, Frieze, Mousse, and Verso, and he has taught Philosophy at Heythrop College (University of London) and The University of Roehampton, London.