In what way can it be enlightening, even crucial to engage with contemporary art today?
Looking at the history and the evolution of the recurring international art show Documenta can teach us. Originally conceived as an exhibition bridging the gap between modernism and the 1950s in ruinous post Nazi Germany, the Documenta soon became a seismographic survey of trending topics in international art and thus in international culture. Since its first edition in 1955, the small city of Kassel has become the epicenter of the (Western) art world every couple of years. Revisiting and re-evaluating some of its most impactful artworks leads us to consider a diverse range of topics and media: conceptual art and moving images, feminist and post-colonial tendencies, performances and Social Sculpture, to name just a few. Particular attention will be given to site-specific and spatial artworks.
During the course of this class, it will become apparent how art not only records and represents current topics, but also, in turn, impacts the discourse that can shape culture as we know it today.
- Professor: Stefanie Gerke
