Key Concepts of Art Theory 2

The course concentrates on the role of theory and criticism in the context of contemporary art and continues to build on the theoretical foundation laid in the first semester of Key Concepts of Art Theory. The course experiments and plays with a variety of different notions of theoretical praxis. In principle, art theory is understood as “the art of seeing art”. Rather than with an identifiable body of knowledge, the course operates as an open and flexible collaborative learning environment. Through a variety of approaches the course will further critically examine key concepts of contemporary art theory and explore their impact on the major movements in visual art from the early 20th century to the present day.

This course is constructed towards developing a methodology, couched in the proposition of contemporary theory, artworks and artefacts of visual culture. The students can reflect on and articulate the significance of art in relation to media and digital culture. The student has thorough knowledge of the artistic theories and methods in the field of contemporary art and can use relevant methods for research and artistic development work in an independent way.

Based on the methodology of problem-based learning a variety of different formats is employed: Reading groups, lectures and presentations, artist’s films and documentaries, studio visits, tutorials, one-to-one conversations, exhibiting, blogging, joint archiving and small-scale artistic research projects. Based on the inputs and reflections from the various learning activities the student will develop a project that will be presented orally and discussed in class. Additional information will be provided at the start of the semester.