When a new year begins, tradition dictates that we try to predict the events that will mark the year. By tradition, we also poke fun at the predictions that others dared to make at the beginning of the previous year. Our forecasting method generally consists of following the calendar of probable events to come (elections in particular) and adding a few wars, attacks or revolutions, depending on our mood.
In general, this sort of forecasting does not venture out into the artistic or intellectual field. No one would take the risk to announce that, in 2018: a novel that will upset millions of readers will be published; or that an unknown artist will exhibit a work of art that will amaze the planet; or that a new musical work will be on everyone’s lips; or whether a philosophical or political essay will shake the ideological foundations of the most established societies; or even, more prosaically, that a self-imposed clothing trend will be asserted against all customs and prejudices.
And yet, if they wanted to take a closer look, crystal ball amateurs would benefit a lot from observing what’s happening in the world of ideas and the arts. Firstly, it is a surprisingly predictable field: the opera houses, the great singers and the best musicians have their programs set for several years ahead. The big museums have exhibitions already predetermined for four or five years. Publishers as well, they have publishing calendars pretty much set for the next eighteen months. As for fashion designers, they are heavily influenced by fabric manufacturers who, themselves, are influenced long beforehand by influential and fascinating characters who decided the style and colours of the next seasons, sometimes three years in advance.
Therefore, it would be possible, if we dug deeper on this side of things, to have a fairly clear idea of what is ahead in some of the essential areas of the future and what will mark us the most. More particularly, we could also have an idea of the main successes that lie ahead. In fact, the events of 2017 have shown the importance of stars in our daily lives. Furthermore, the willingness for a new beginning foreshadowed a great intellectual, artistic and political “upheaval” everywhere. Of course, one can neither predict in advance the genius of an artist, nor the moment of his recognition by the world. Nevertheless, the risk can be taken: it is clear to me that 2018 will be the year that in the fields of the arts and ideas we witness a moment of a brutal shock between nostalgia and audacity, the audacity of nostalgia and the nostalgia of audacity. The most traditional values will be the first to be glorified all over the world. Then, we will witness the triumphs or rediscoveries of great classical works, sometimes as pretexts for a return to our national cultural roots. In particular, in China, in India, in Latin America, but also in Europe, major works, often forgotten, could resurface. It will also feed the imagination of people throughout the world. The undeniable value of nostalgia will thus emerge and rise in a world that already knows what it is losing, and does not know yet what it will gain. And with this rise, core values of identity, roots and heritage will dominate. Politicians will pounce and take advantage of it.
As a response, young people all over the world, whatever their age and social status, will awaken innumerable works of art that highlight the glory of freedom, transgressions, deprivation of rights and a clean slate. But also of vulnerability and fragility. In the field of ideas, my intuition is this: after recently witnessing the very legitimate battle for gender equality and the recognition of feminine creativity, we will now witness the subject of childhood being taken seriously (at last) in 2018. We will value its protection. We will be on the lookout for its talents and audacity. Thousands of pages on the right to a childhood will be written. We will find sources, even imaginary ones, in the most ancient philosophical texts. Intellectuals will find a new business in it. Artists will find new sources of inspiration. And politicians, when the time comes, will seize upon the opportunity, for better or for worse.