With John Bicknell's exhibition as a backdrop, Athens-based philosopher Marcos Breuer invites you to discover key philosophical dimensions underlying the work of art.

From Tragedy to Zarathustrian Laughter:
Nietzsche on the Nature of Art

In his first book, The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche advocates the return to a “tragic culture”, following his reflections on the ancient cult of Dionysos, the origin of Greek tragedy, and the later evolution of Western societies up to the 19th century. Some years later, however, Nietzsche starts developing a new point of view: the revitalization of Western culture can only take place through the emergence of a new kind of human being, able to playfully and freely create the goals and values that will govern his or her existence. Thus, from a pessimistic world view Nietzsche ends up adopting an affirmative philosophy. As a consequence, the boundaries between artistic creation and authentic living tend to blur.

At our coming meeting at FoKiaNou 24/7, the philosopher Marcos Breuer will present Nietzsche's aesthetics and discuss its relevance to the contemporary artistic field.

Bio
Marcos G. Breuer was born in Santa Fe (Argentina) and studied Philosophy at the University of Córdoba; afterwards he worked as a consultant in the public sector for two years. In 2001, he obtained a fellowship to do his doctorate in Philosophy at the University of Düsseldorf, Germany. After having completed his PhD, he moved to Rome in 2006. There he worked as a teacher and conducted post-doctoral research. Since 2009 he works as an independent philosopher based in Athens. Breuer has just finished a book reconstructing the ethical debate on the legalization of voluntary euthanasia and is currently working on a project exploring the multifarious relationship between philosophical and fictional discourse, concentrating on the work of authors such as J. L. Borges. He regularly organizes lectures and courses in philosophy and literature; his main areas of interest are the history of philosophy, ethics, and the relation between philosophy and literature. More information: www.marcosbreuer.com