Handbook

The course exposes you to the different types of contemporary art exhibited locally - in public galleries, dealer galleries, contemporary art spaces, artist run initiatives, community centres and non-art spaces such as shopping malls. Designed to reflect the diversity both of art and the institutions through which it is viewed, this course is structured around an examination of works in situ. You are encouraged to engage with work in relation to specific contexts, to consider issues of taste and value and how these are mediated by place and modes of display.  The course introduces you to the importance of context in art, firstly through site visits to different physical contexts. Once on site, exhibitions or spaces are examined for the ways that art is contextualised there. Contexts may include the physical space itself, the socioeconomic structure of the space, accompanying publications, curatorial concerns, references made within the artwork, art history, framing and installation. As the course progresses, appropriate texts are actively engaged with to give you insight into how context plays a major role in scholarly enquiry. You will be provided with practical opportunities to develop your skills in preparation for making your own contributions towards this field.