The question of the transformative potential of art or rather the challenge posed to art to be a transformative practice is at the core of this course. What role should art play in neo-liberal societies? How can art – which is always rooted in political and social realities – react to them and intervene in them? Which are the terms and aims of socially, politically and ethically engaged artistic practices? What does transformation even mean in the context of artistic practices?

To address these issues, we will dive into tactics and strategies, methods and approaches developed in different geopolitical contexts from the  20th century onwards  by artists who refuse to work at the servile service of political and symbolic hegemony, but rather work on critical distance, constructive cooperation, or in radical antagonism. We will focus on strategies aiming at directing action, organizing participation, crafting  awareness, circulating knowledge, performing alternatives, practicing radical imagination, or questioning the representation, among others. Moreover, we will pay a particular attention to feminist and queer feminist methods, themselves closely linked the decolonial and ecological projects – like practicing collective work and commoning, enacting situatedness and site-responsiveness, caring and maintaining.

Attendance, collaboration and engagement in preparations before and discussions during the course. 

Presentations of works and/or texts will be asked as well. 

The first course is mandatory. If you cannot attend, please write me an email. 

The course is complementary to the course Artistic Strategies: Case Studies. Please register for both courses