with Kathy-Ann Tan
In this course, we will engage with the question of what a decolonial artistic and curatorial practice entails. We will begin by outlining the contexts and parameters of decolonization as an ongoing epistemic project that seeks to delink from what Walter Mignolo terms “the colonial matrix of power”. This will be followed by a closer look at contemporary artistic and curatorial strategies of reframing Western and Orientalist epistemologies, unsettling Eurocentric frames of reference, and imagining alternative aesthetic perspectives.
What role(s) can artists and curators play in questioning the neutrality of the archive/canon? How can they embrace alternative epistemologies to challenge neo-colonial forms of racism, privilege and oppression, while re-articulating marginalized experiences and silenced histories? How can they close the gap between policy and practice in Western art institutions, galleries and museum spaces, and how are non-Western art spaces and initiatives challenging normative artistic and curatorial practices? We will engage with these questions over the course of four sessions. Reading material and links to online resources will be provided.
Program
Week 1. Introduction
- Introduction to the program and course overview.
Week 2. The Decolonial Turn in Art and Performance
This week will present an overview of Decolonial Aesthetics – theory, methods, examples of visual art and performance. Further reading and links to resources will be distributed.
Week 3. Manifesting Decolonial Artistic and Curatorial Strategies
How are decolonial strategies and methodologies in artistic production and curatorial practice made manifest? How are they received by the exhibition viewer/visitor? We will address these questions through three different case studies that include exhibitions on Afrofuturism and the legacies of colonial histories.
Week 4. The Archive and Decolonial Aesthetics
This week will explore the notion of the archive and the practice of archiving in contemporary art and curatorial practice. We will consider the archive as cultural mode of documentation and knowledge transmission, but also as a potential site for artistic forms of decolonial intervention and disruption.
Week 5. Policy and Practice in Western Art Spaces and Beyond
For the final week, we will discuss ways of closing the gap between policy and practice in Western art spaces, taking a look at how non-Western art spaces and initiatives are challenging normative artistic and curatorial practices and unsettling Eurocentric frames of reference.
*Image by Santo Miguelito Pérez
