Enlightenment in Dialogue
On April 2nd Stiftung Mercator staged the “Enlightenment in Dialogue” series of events as an academic accompaniment to the exhibition “The Art of the Enlightenment” in Beijing. The official forums of the series have been organized by the Stiftung Mercator in partnership with the National Museum of China. In addition, it has independently initiated a series of salons on the subject, giving German and Chinese intellectuals the chance to exchange views and ideas on philosophical, social and artistic aspects of the Enlightenment. The salons are designed to imitate the classic salon of the Enlightenment and to offer a forum for open discussions of art, culture and philosophy.
Structure and organization
The events will comprise five dialogue blocks which will continue for the entire duration of the exhibition. The dialogue blocks will take place in parallel to the exhibition, addressing various facets of a contemporary examination of the subject of enlightenment. Each dialogue consists of a lecture and a panel discussion.
Objective
The objective of the series of events is to perceive enlightenment as part of a universal “global heritage of ideas” and to stimulate an open dialogue on the importance of enlightenment in modern times. Stiftung Mercator wishes to bring together Chinese and European scholars, writers and artists and, in particular, to highlight the value of enlightenment for key questions relating to identity and the future.