Subjects

Course Description:

This seminar seeks to acquaint students with different approaches and strategies of contemporary art and introduce a wide range of figures operating within Czech and international contemporary art scene. The seminar will concentrate on the means used by artists to engage with various aspects of the contemporary world and its reflection in the art’s content and form. Together we will explore Prague galleries and art institutions, meet artists and curators and discuss their approaches to art, and the society at large. The choice of the sites of interest will reflect the current offer of the local art scene.
The seminar will be taught for two semesters but can be also enrolled for only one semester.

Course Requirements:

Presentation
Part of the evaluation is a short (10-15 minutes) oral presentation of each student’s final assignment topic. This presentation will be delivered in class, during the last two weeks of the spring semester. The presentation should be spoken or read and include visual aids.

Exhibition journal
Students should keep an exhibition journal with short analysis of each visited exhibition (max. 1800 characters with spaces per each entry). The journal should most importantly show students’ opinions on the material viewed in class. The journal is due on May 16th (23:59 pm) for the Spring semester.

Writing Assignment - Final paper
Students are asked to write a paper on a topic related to the theme of the course. The paper should show students’ ability to contextualize the works, exhibitions, and curatorial concepts related to the problems of contemporary society and art. The subject does not have to (but might) directly relate to materials and exhibitions covered in class.
The paper must have at least 9000 characters, bibliography, and footnotes (preferably in Chicago style: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html)
Students should consult their topic with the lecturer and can submit the first draft of their paper beforehand (after a prior consultation). The deadline for choosing a topic is the end of April. Please e-mail the topic with a short (800 characters) annotation describing the approach to the researched topic/research question(s) and at least 3 bibliographic sources to the lecturer by April 25 at the latest.
The deadline for submission of the final essay is May 25th (for students attending both semesters).

Assessment and final grade:
Evaluation: The final grade will be based on the results of in-class presentation of the final paper topic 20 %, final paper 20 %, gallery journal 30 %, and active participation on the seminar's activities and discussions 30 %.

Required readings:
ARADA, J., KUAN WOOD, J., VIDOKLE, A. (ed.) What is Contemporary Art? Berlin 2010.
DUMBADZE, A., HUDSON, S., Contemporary Art: 1989 to the Present, Chichester 2013.
SMITH, T. What Is Contemporary Art?, Chicago 2009.
STILES, K., SELZ, P. H., Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artists' Writings, Berkley, Los Angeles, London 1996.

Last update: Štefková Zuzana, Mgr., Ph.D. (07.02.2025)