On May 19, 2025, the University of Göttingen hosted a cross-cultural conference bringing together leading writers, artists, and scholars from China, Europe, and the United States. The event explored how questions of identity and ignorance shape modern self-understanding across literary and artistic discourses.
Held at the historic Paulinerkirche and supported by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the workshop featured dialogues and readings by Yu Hua, Mao Jian, Ge Fei, Ouyang Jianghe, Xi Chuan, Li Tuo, Xu Bing. Scholars such as Dominic Sachsenmaier, Wang Hui, Lydia H. Liu, and Anselm Franke chaired sessions and roundtables linking literature, philosophy, and art practice.
Program Highlights
– Opening and Welcome: Dominic Sachsenmaier (Göttingen University), Wang Hui (Tsinghua University)
– Identities and Uncertainties – Literary Readings (Chair: Lydia H. Liu): Ge Fei, Ouyang Jianghe, Xi Chuan
– Settings, Endings, and Transitions (Chair: Wang Hui) Yu Hua, Steffen Kopetzky, Mao Jian, Li Tuo
– Doing Art Today? (Chair: Anselm Franke) Xu Bing, Anna-Louise Rolland, Viktor Lukas Witkowski, Zhang Hanwen
The conference addressed the interplay between literary creation and philosophical reflection in times of cultural transformation. It questioned how ignorance and self-perception mediate politics and art in the twenty-first century.
For detailed information, please click here for the full program.
Panel 1: Identities and Uncertainties – Literary Readings
Panel 2: Settings, Endings, and Transitions
Panel 3: Doing Art Today?
