a project with Annie Fletcher
January-March 2003

This course examined the moment of intersection between an artist’s work and its reception in the public sphere over the last decade. Whether this took the form of an exhibition, project or discussion; the moment where the artis t ic idea meets the public remained pivotal. We examined how artist’s works are activated and read. What modes of presentation do artists employ to communicate their practice and how contexts, locations and cultural norms affect these readings. Does an artist’s intention translate into how the work is critically received? How do artists change the way things are presented? – How do exhibitions facilitate and present artists?

By looking at some of the most pivotal exhibitions and projects from the late 80’s through the nineties and today the project attempted to retrace and explore these artistic positions and explorations and re-evaluate their impact. Through a series of lectures with artists and curators, participants engaged with various critical str ategies used to evaluate the varying positions of the artist and their modes of presentation. Participants articulated and experimented with their readings and critical evaluations in discursive seminars framed around writing, reading and exhibition visits.

The course began with a trip to London as the starting point in the examination of contemporary artistic positionings and how the recent history of exhibitions and alternative strategies of presentation affect how artists’ practice today. Exhibition subjects include ‘Chambre d Amis’, ‘This is the show and the show is many things’, ‘Documenta XI’, ‘What if?’, ‘Art on the verge of architecture and design’, ‘Cities on the Move’, ‘After the Wall’, and the projects ‘Museum in Progress’ and ‘The Short Century’.

Project leader was independent curator Annie Fletcher (Ireland/Netherlands).

Guests for this project included artist Jeanne van Heeswijk (Netherlands), and curators Maria Hlavajova (Czech Republic) and Liutauras Psibliskis (Slovenia/Sweden).