With the notion of the monument as a conceptual point of departure, I wish to analyze the public sphere as a field of political, public, and commercial interests through research, curatorial projects and social platforms. Against the backdrop of historical monuments and public art, I question the potency of contemporary art as communication in todays mediatized society, and whether art can serve as a catalyst for nuanced debate in the public sphere.

In recent years political scientists have been stunned by the shortcomings of their own predictions, as surprise election-results happened in several countries. The forum for debate is no longer in town squares or city halls, not even on television or in the newspapers, but increasingly online through unedited, easily manipulated, social medias. What does the public sphere even mean in our time and which role does art have to play in civil society?

The immaterial monument is an oxymoron. But the concept it carries refers to a monument that does not refer to conquest, heroism or the nation state, but alludes to unifying concepts that acknowledge diversity, globalism, human rights and democracy. While the immaterial monument may never be found, its effects can possibly be traced.