Talk on humor as transgression

Humor is part of our daily lives, but it’s not just a form of entertainment. Historically, it has also been a tool to question the status quo: from the comedies of Molière to contemporary satires in television programs like Polònia. Humor, therefore, can help us understand our societies and point out the limits of systems and their seams. But what makes us laugh and why? What are the points of contact between art and humor?

Starting from the question of what we understand by humor and exploring its derivatives, Joan Fontcuberta and Àlex Mesa will delve into the critical, transgressive, and subversive role of humor, as well as its relationship with contemporary artistic creation.

Joan Fontcuberta (Barcelona, 1955) has developed a plural activity in the world of photography as a creator, teacher, critic, exhibition curator, and historian. He has published several books and essays on photography, such as El beso de Judas. Fotografía y verdad (1997), La cámara de Pandora (2010), La furia de las imágenes (2016), or Desbordar el espejo (2024). His creative work deals with conflicts between nature, technology, photography, and truth, and has been the subject of numerous monographic publications and solo exhibitions in institutions around the world, such as MoMA in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, the IVAM in Valencia, FOAM in Amsterdam, MEP in Paris, or the Science Museum in London. His work has been acquired by numerous public collections. Among other awards, he received the National Photography Award in 1998, the Hasselblad Award in 2013, and the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of Paris VIII in 2022.

Àlex Mesa holds a Cum Laude doctorate in philosophy from the UAB. He is currently a professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Barcelona and collaborates occasionally with different publishers and cultural centers organizing courses and workshops. His main research focus revolves around the philosophy of humor, and his theoretical framework draws from Western continental philosophy, Eco’s semiotics, posthumanism, gender theories, queer theories, and the Ljubljana School.

Location: Sala Miranda, Espai d’Arts