HSEM2009H: Contemporary Art and Politics: From Marcel Duchamp to Ai Weiwei

This course will discuss the subject matters and practices of major contemporary artists all over the world - including Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Beuys, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Jeff Koons, Andy Warhol, Yoko Ono, Ilya Kabakov, Jasper Johns, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Ai Weiwei, Shirin Neshat, Marina Abramovic, Kara Walker, etc. ? whose creative work frequently intertwines with commentaries on contemporary politics. As a strategy of being, these contemporary artists seem to use art to engage their audiences in a dynamic dialogue concerning certain aspects of contemporary life. These and other artists want to interpret political reality in order to change it; that is, to bring about social and political transformation through aesthetic means. This course will provide an overview of the ideas, strategies, and work of the artists as a critical lens for viewing the changing cultural and political landscape of an increasingly technological and globalized world.This course will take a comparative studies approach to the development of contemporary art in its historical, its social and political contexts, the increasing influence of the Western art in Asia, Africa, and other parts of the world, and the cross-cultural communication customs and protocols of international art practice and art criticism. Methodologically, this course first aims at integrating four major disciplinary approaches in discussing art history from post-WWII to the present day: historical studies, sociological studies, psychoanalytic studies and cultural studies. Such an integrated approach will provide a framework and a reference point for us to describe and understand contemporary art in certain historical and political contexts.

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