What if there was no art?

It would be a very, very sad, sad and empty and monochrome globe.

Art is the evidence for archaeologists that we exist.

It is a language that we use to manifest feelings, thoughts, experiences.

Without it,

nothing would really happen and even today would not happen.

Art comes from where a feeling of sharing, of something that we want to explore,

and want to learn from.

And therefore, without art

this would be my presentation.

Think about it!

Think about the last art that you've seen: a film, music, dance.

Three seconds: A-R-T.

A pink plank. Yes!

In New York, Museum of Modern Arts: The pink plank of John McCracken.

I went there with my father

who also questions art because what does it really bring?

I think my predecessor speaker spoke about arts also not being very much...

Anyways, so we had a walk through the MoMA and he said to me, "You know what?

This I really don't understand, but this is what I'll remember forever."

And after it, we obviously had a long, long conversation,

because what did John McCracken mean for this particular piece?

This particular piece is a bit of a joke,

but not really, because for him it shows the connection between earth and heaven.

And its sleakness is all about that beauty of connecting earth and heaven,

standing on the ground and whatever that happens in your mind.

Art, according to Jerry Salt, art critic,

one of the best art critics in the world,

New York Magazine describes art as an osmosis, a constellation.

It's not a rigid system.

That's why sometimes people find it hard to consider what art is.

Going back to the pink plank.

What he is trying to say here is that it's basically about art,

using art as a form of dialogue, as a language.

And he's saying, you know, there's no much more meaning

and no less purpose with art as is with politics, science, religion.

It basically touches all of that.

Art in production. This is a little bit for all of the cynics again.

So cynics are basically what I believe idealists who have seen failure.

This is also coming back to the "what if" question, like: "What is the purpose?

How do we benefit from arts?"

Therefore, function is questionable,

but maybe it's the purpose for it to be questioned.

Maybe we should go around, like earlier with the mobile phone.

Like: What is this? Is this actually a box? Is that actually a plant?

Does it need to be in that particular way?

Why can't we change it around? Why can't we be innovative about it?

Why can't we give a different experience about it?

There you go! "What if?", purposefully asking the question.

Which brings me to universability,

which basically what I'm trying to say is that art is for all and for everybody.

Like earlier today, what we saw with these beautiful girls, doing their dance,

expressing, giving you a sense of what they're trying to live through,

and trying to improve and trying to show you through movement...

and that's basically what I was to give you all.

Go out! Explore and learn and engage and develop!

(Applause)