ONLINE
HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
February 20 – April 24 2021
Duration : 15 hours
Helena Almeida
The new seminar History of Contemporary Art focuses on 20th & 21st century art and contemporary jewelry, both commencing around the 1950s but with a significant history from the beginning of the century. Within this framework, we will explore an array of topics arising through the connection of the art of jewelry and contemporary art: How does the concept of beauty evolve and change? What makes an object precious? What is the relation between the so-called “high culture” and decorative arts? How different artists interact as art is becoming more pluralistic?
By now, art goes beyond painting or sculpture; it can be an act or a process (performance art), a complex entity in space (installation) or it can take place in time and space (video art). Many forms of contemporary art escape the two dimensions and demand a three- dimensional existence, setting up a relationship with the viewer and the human body – much like jewelry does.
The seminar does not follow a linear chronological order, but instead each session elaborates on a specific theme by drawing associations among works of different decades and media as expressed by artists of different backgrounds and views. So, in one session, we will be examining the relation of contemporary art with the human body (Yves Klein, Bruce Nauman, Ana Mendieta); in another, how everyday objects are represented in art or are transformed into art as such (Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst); in another, how part of the visual arts turns into words and narrative (Barbara Kruger, Jenny Holzer).
Special attention will be given to the genealogy of works of art, referring to the way artists incorporate into their work both their artistic influences and their origins and cultural heritage. A characteristic example is the relation of Greek art with the often neglected of the Balkan tradition.
Seminar Duration: 15 hours | February 20- April 24 2021
Schedule: Saturday 18.00-19.30
Participation cost: 150 € + VAT 24%
Instructor: Georgia Zachari | Art Historian
Georgia Zachari is an art historian and cartoonist who lives and works in Athens, Greece. She studied in the Athens School of Fine Arts, with a year spent in an Εrasmus+ scholarship in Paris VIII in France. Since the start of her studies she has worked as an educator with kids and adults, most notably during Documenta 14 in 2017. She is particularly interested in the intersectionality of different kinds of art, how art is expressed in big cities and public spaces, and how people’s perception of works of art changes over time.
You can see some of her work in comics here: https://www.instagram.com/tiganopsomo/.
