Over the past two decades, digital technologies have fundamentally transformed practically all social spheres and all areas life: from shopping to dating, from finance to medicine. But what about the field of art? The seminar will examine the effects of digitization on art since 2000. On the one hand, we will ask how digitalization is transforming the production, distribution, and reception as well as the formal aspects of art; on the other hand, we will explore how art reflects these transformations. Rather than subscribing to technological determinism, the aim is to illuminate which practices and forms are favored, made possible, or made more difficult by certain socio-technological frameworks. Considering different artworks (for example by American Artist, Loretta Fahrenholz, Sondra Perry, Seth Price, Hito Steyerl) and exhibitions (p.e. Speculations on Anonymous Materials at Fridericianum Kassel or Art Post-Internet at UCCA Beijing) as case studies and drawing on recent art criticism (p.e. Carly Busta/New Models, Michael Sanchez) and research (Shane Denson, Noam Elcott, Legacy Russell, Ravi Sundaram,Marina Vishmidt among others), we discuss phenomena such as Post-Cinema, Glitch Feminism, NFTs and web3, Post-Internet Art, Flip Art and Zombie Formalism, AI and the turn from opticality to visuality, Infrastructural Critique, and the platformization of the art system.

The grade for this course is composed of three components: 1.) participation (20%), 2.) presentation and discussion facilitation (30%), and 3.) written commentaries on the course readings (50%).

1.) Participation refers to your active engagement in seminar discussions. This includes formulating questions and statements regarding the material that advance our discussion, but also listening and responding to other participants' contributions.

2.) Instead of a term paper, short commentaries of ca. 300 words each are required for each of the main readings in advance of the session. These reading commentaries should sumarize the main argument of the text and formulate a question or hypothesis, such as: a critical commentary concerning concerning the text's argument, method, or case studies (for example with regard to potential contradictions); pointing out the text's blind spots; a critical comparison with other texts from the same or previous sessions.

3.) Each student develops a short presentation (15 minutes) for one of the sessions (either individually or in a team). Presentations should be based on the assumption that everyone has read the main text for the session. They should focus on situating the argument theoretically and historically and draw on the recommended readings in order to do so. The aim is to prepare, introduce, and facilitate a discussion. Presentations should therefore include a strong thesis and at least two questions.

The seminar will be held in concentrated blocks. Space is limited. If you're interested in enrolling, please join the introductory session. (Dates tbd.) The seminar will be held in English, but there is no requirement of a perfect command of the language. Anyone feeling comfortable to join a discussion in English is most welcome.