Revisiting Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie: Class Hegemony in Contemporary Art

Over a period of nearly five years, Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie interrogated how class structures shape the production, presentation, and reception of contemporary art. Initiated in 2006, the project asked complex, unresolved questions such as: How does class impact who becomes an artist or curator? Is international art itself a privilege of the middle classes? 20 years on, we return to these questions and ask why class continues to be so easily overlooked in the production and presentation of art – even at a time when matters of political equality are far more prevalent throughout the field.

In fact, when it comes to class structures, the art field itself may have more to contribute than what meets the eye. We all know the art world is no meritocracy exactly. But it may have proposals to share nonetheless. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time that contributions by art workers were overlooked or underrated, by historians and theorists alike. By means of a project archive and a public programme, Lapdogs of the Bourgeoisie is a chance to build on such ideas, scenarios and analyses – and to imagine new perspectives for contemporary art and beyond.

Revisited at de Appel by curators Eszter Szakács and Tirdad Zolghadr, 2026. Original project curated by Nav Haq and Tirdad Zolghadr, featuring artists Annika Eriksson, Chris Evans, Natascha Sadr Haghigian, San Keller, Hassan Khan, Marion von Osten and others.