Pickpocket – A Professional Development Workshop for Artists
Performance: devised by Sarah Pickering , performed by Christophe Ambre
Guild of Artists
The Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire

During Manifesta 11, Cabaret Voltaire will be transformed into a guildhall for artists called Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire. It is inspired by traditional guilds, where likeminded people collectively represent their profession. The Cabaret der Künstler – Zunfthaus Voltaire will be home to the newly founded Guild of Artists.

What people do for money is not always legal, and in a subversive act Christophe Ambre has recontextualised his expertise to become a consultant in his field to the police. Christophe describes his skill as an ‘art’ and has performed in the National Gallery in London and many other major European venues.

A pressing question implied but not addressed directly by the Biennial theme is, How can artists make a living? Now, more than ever, artists without financial support need to widen their skills portfolio to be market ready. Christophe will promote the value of generating alternative streams of income from creative talent.

I will work with Christophe on the content of the presentation providing insight into the economic downturn in arts funding and this decline in income for artists will provide a backdrop to the performance.

Christophe will demonstrate his skill in pickpocketing. He will provide practical tips on how to creatively remove valuable items from collectors, gallery directors and funders. Christophe will advise artists on how to avoid being a victim of pickpockets while they are thinking about artistic matters.