Contemporary Photography and Art 1

Display Schedule

Code Completion Credits Range Language Instruction Semester
307ECON1 exam 4 2 lecture hours (45 min) of instruction per week, 82 to 102 hours of self-study English

Subject guarantor

Name of lecturer(s)

Tomáš DVOŘÁK, Josef LEDVINA, Michal ŠIMŮNEK

Contents

The course introduces framework topics connecting the medium of photography with contemporary art, especially in relation to the History and Theory of Photography 1 and 2.

October 11

What is art and who makes it?

Professionals, Amateurs, Outsiders, Shitposters, Automatons…

Pamela Bannos: „Vivian Maier: A Photographer’s Life and Afterlife“, University of Chicago Press 2017.

October 18

Pictures as Tools and as Artworks

Hito Steyerl: In Defense of the Poor Image

https://www.e-flux.com/journal/10/61362/in-defense-of-the-poor-image/¨

October 25

Politics and Aesthetics of Obsolescence: Analog Photography in Digital Age

Margaret Iversen: “Analogue: On Zoe Leonard and Tacita Dean”. In: Photography, Trace, and Trauma, 2019, 33-47.

November 1

Presentations

November 8

The Legacy of the Avantgarde: From 'Aestheticizing Politics' to 'Politicizing Art'

Claire Bishop, “The Social Turn. Collaboration and Its Discontents,” Artforum, 2006.

November 15

Art as Product / Product as Art

Louise Benson, “Welcome to the LOL House: The Cynical Legacy of DIS“, Elephant:

https://elephant.art/welcome-to-the-lol-house-the-legacy-of-dis-10062021/

November 22

Presentations

November 29

Transparency Persistent, Lost or Regained

Erika Balsom, “The Reality-Based Community”, e-flux:

https://www.e-flux.com/journal/83/142332/the-reality-based-community/

December 6

Authenticity and Artifice: Performative strategies in Contemporary Art Practice

Claire Bishop, „Outsourcing Authenticity? Delegated Performance in Contemporary Art“, in Double Agent, eds. Claire Bishop and Silvia Tramontana, London: ICA, 2008, pp 110-125, https://monoskop.org/images/1/19/Bishop_Claire_2008_Outsourcing_Authenticity_Delegated_Performance_in_Contemporary_Art.pdf

December 13

Umění a antropocén

Carolyn L. Kane, “Plastic Shine: From Prosaic Miracle to Retrograde Sublime”, e-flux, http://supercommunity.e-flux.com/texts/plastic-shine-from-prosaic-miracle-to-retrograde-sublime/

December 20

Seminar and consultation of essay topics

Learning outcomes

The student is oriented in contemporary art, understands contemporary theories of art and photography, is able to think about photography in the context of current discussions about technical images and is able to reflect on some of the topics discussed in his/her own creative work.

Prerequisites and other requirements

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Literature

Required reading:

Alva Noë: „Strange Tools: Art and Human Nature“, Hill and Wang 2016.

Evaluation methods and criteria

1) 20-minutes oral presentation:

Choose a particular artistic oeuvre or some phenomenon in contemporary art or visual culture. Present it through visual material, explain why it caught your attention and put forward an argument why it should interest other participants of the course. Prepare 3 questions for discussion.

  1. written paper

deadline: January 7, 2024

min. length: 9000 characters including spaces.

Analyse in detail a particular artwork/series of artworks/art exhibition. Use other sources to support your analysis (use them to build up your argument or argue with them in case they support a different position). Please submit your paper by email to pledvina@gmail.com.

The final oral exam: discussion over your submitted paper.

Note

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Schedule for winter semester 2023/2024:

06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Wed
room 112
Room No. 112
(Lažanský palác)
LEDVINA J.
11:30–13:05
(parallel1)
Thu
Fri
Date Day Time Tutor Location Notes No. of paralel
Wed 11:30–13:05 Josef LEDVINA Room No. 112
Lažanský palác		 parallel1

Schedule for summer semester 2023/2024:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans