Hand at Work: Evald Ilyenkov on Art and Technology
30. April 2025, 16.00 Uhr Kunstuniversität Linz, Domgasse 1, EG, Seminarraum DO.EG.21
You are cordially invited to a talk with Isabel Jacobs on the work of Evald Ilyenkov (1924–1979), one of the most important Soviet philosophers, known for his original interpretations of Spinoza and Marx. The talk will explore Ilyenkov’s theory of art and technology, with a focus on embodied thinking, creativity, and collective imagination. It will also touch on his dialectical critique of cybernetics and machine intelligence, highlighting its relevance to today’s discussions around art and AI. Ideas will be presented from several of Ilyenkov’s texts, including the sci-fi treatise On Idols and Ideals (1968) and his reflections on a pop art exhibition he attended in Vienna in 1964 as part of a Soviet delegation.
The talk will be moderated by Samet Yalçın (PhD Candidate at the Department of Art History and Art Theory) and supported by the PhD Research Collective.
About Isabel Jacobs: She is a philosopher and writer specialising in Soviet and East European visual culture and thought. She is a Josef Dobrovský Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague. She holds a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of London. Her work explores the intersections between philosophy, culture, and politics, with an interest in nonhuman agency and the environmental humanities. She is currently writing a book on Alexandre Kojève and runs a monthly research group on socialist conceptions of time.
