Join us for the opening programme of the exhibition Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie 2026: Class Hegemony in Contemporary Art on Saturday 12 September! The one day symposium will feature some of the original artists and contributors of Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie, as well as new contributing artists and discussants around issues of class: Özgür Atlagan, Sepp Eckenhaussen, Annika Eriksson, Chris Evans, San Keller, Hassan Khan, Alina Lupu, Suhail Malik, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Peter Spillmann, Eszter Szakács, Tirdad Zolghadr and others.
Kjartan Slettemark, knähund/Lapdog of the bourgeoisie, Malmö Konsthall, 1975, . In the framework of Annika Eriksson, we are not who you think we are, performance series, 2006-2009.
Over a period of nearly five years, Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie interrogated how class structures shape the production, presentation and reception of contemporary art. Initiated in 2006, the project asked complex, unresolved questions, such as: How does class impact who becomes an artist or curator? Can contemporary art itself be seen as a privilege of the middle classes? Twenty years on, we return to these questions and ask why class continues to be so easily overlooked in the production and presentation of art—even at a time when matters of political equality are far more prevalent than before.
In fact, when it comes to these questions, the art field itself may have more to contribute than meets the eye. We all know the art world is not exactly a meritocracy. But it may have proposals to share nonetheless. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that contributions by art workers were overlooked or undervalued, by historians and theorists alike. By means of a project archive and a public programme, Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie is a chance to build on such ideas, scenarios and analyses—and to imagine new perspectives for art and beyond.
Originally curated by Nav Haq and Tirdad Zolghadr, featuring artists Annika Eriksson, Chris Evans, San Keller, Hassan Khan, Marion von Osten, Natascha Sadr Haghighian and others.
Revisited at de Appel in 2026 by curators Eszter Szakács and Tirdad Zolghadr, with new contributions by artists Özgür Atlagan and Alina Lupu.
The opening programme is a one day symposium featuring some of the original artists and contributors of Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie, as well as new contributing artists and discussants around issues of class: Özgür Atlagan, Sepp Eckenhaussen, Annika Eriksson, Chris Evans, San Keller, Hassan Khan, Alina Lupu, Suhail Malik, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, Peter Spillmann, Eszter Szakács, Tirdad Zolghadr and others.
If you'd like to attend the full programme, please make sure to reserve for both part 1 and 2. Lunch is included in part 1 of the programme.
