An Aesthetics of Justice, or How does Justice look like

Questions of law and justice are too important to be left to lawyers and philosophers alone. Wolfgang Kaleck therefore allows different voices from different fields and regions to have their say in his series of events — in the knowledge that justice can only be achieved through social processes involving division of labor. Discursive and performative formats include fundamental topics as well as interventions on current events.

It deals with the central principles of international law and human rights. Because defending them in our dark times is already a daunting task, nevertheless or precisely because of this — far-reaching visions are being developed as concrete utopias.

Chilean artist Alfredo Jaar and art historian Florencia San Martin will kick off the series on November 7, 2026. Using the terms grief, accountability and failure, the similarities between artistic creation and human rights work are discussed.

As part of the second event, there will be a staged reading of Ilija Trojanov's The Book of Power. How to achieve them and (never) let go again instead. It is about questions of power — and thus about the power of the few as an obstacle to justice for all people.

With London photography theorist Mark Sealey, who has just curated the 9th Hamburg Photo Triennial, the themes of love as action, infinity as a future perspective and solidarity are discussed.

Between these three events, which outline the DNA of an aesthetic of justice, further events with artists, activists and lawyers address issues of historical colonial violence and its continuity as well as one or the other focal point of world politics. With: Alfredo Jaar, Wolfgang Kaleck, Florencia San Martin