This year HDK-Valand offers two international summer courses both by distance education (online) delivered in English, free to EU nationals. 15 ECTS-credits each: Introduction to Contemporary Art and Politics (VFSPOL) and Art and Politics—On Friendship and the Political Imaginary (FKAKPO).
Application period is February 19 to March 16, 2021.
Application via universityadmissions.se (for international applicants) and via antagning.se (for Swedish applicants).
Admission to courses is based on a letter of intention (preferably in English) stating why you wish to attend the course, 200 to 350 words in length. (Optional to include CV appendix in addition to 200–350 words.)
In evaluating your application, we consider:
(1) clarity of purpose in attending course, as evidenced in letter
(2) capacity to actively contribute to the group dialogue, evidenced in letter
You will require access to reliable internet connection and headphones with mic to participate effectively.
About Introduction to Contemporary Art and Politics (VFSPOL)
Distance course introducing key political themes and questions in contemporary art practices, theories and institutions. 2021 course in partnership with Vector Studio and “George Enescu” National University of the Arts in Iasi, Romania. Contributors include: Mick Wilson, Catalin Gheorghe, Corina Oprea, Sarah Tuck, Daniel Jewesbury, Vivianna Chechia, Cathryn Klasto, and Kjell Caminha.
The interaction between questions of politics and questions of art is a longstanding problem. However, arguably this dialogue between art and politics has intensified in recent years, leading to a fundamental interrogation: What is at stake in intersections and disjunctions of art and the political? How are the terms “politics” and “the political” articulated within contemporary art? What, if any, are the specific political valencies of artistic practice?
There are 16 online lectures and seminars and 2 workshop intensives.
The online presentation and seminar sessions are typically scheduled at 4pm (Swedish time, CET) on the following days: June (8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 28, 29, 30); July (19,20,21); August (11, 12, 13, 25, 26).
In addition to the weekly presentations and seminars, we also have two workshop intensives, where we work in smaller groups to explore specific topics and issues: June 22–24 and August 18–20.
The formal presentations can be attended live and also accessed via recordings published online, at whatever time suits your personal timetable needs. However, it is strongly recommended that you attend the “live” online the discussion sessions, as these will not be recorded and offer the best opportunity to interact with the other participants.
Art and Politics—On Friendship and the Political Imaginary (FKAKPO)
Masters level course—general requirement of prior bachelor degree qualification—introducing key themes and questions in respect of politics, affiliation and the ontology of friendship with reference to contemporary art practices, theories and institutions. Delivered in partnership with the School of Visual Arts, New York through a three-week joint intensive: ”O My Friends, There Is No Friend: Politics, Affiliation and the Ontology of Friendship” led jointly by Steven Henry Madoff, founding chair of SVA’s MA Curatorial Studies program and internationally renowned curator, art critic and poet; and artist, educator and researcher Mick Wilson, Professor of Art and Director of Doctoral Studies at HDK-Valand, University of Gothenburg.
The course is structured in three stages:
Stage 1: Reading group meetings (June 7–25)
Stage 2: “O My Friends, There Is No Friend” joint intensive with SVA (June 28–July 16)
Stage 3: Individual project work (July 19–August 27)
The intensive will be group study augmented by an international array of guest speakers representing the world’s museums, academies and activist spaces for thought, action and collaboration.
Image: Dave Beech, Mick Wilson, and students, 2018. Photo: Kjell Caminha.
