Open Critique

In this class we will explore the tension between
the artwork itself and what surrounds it, such as
the artist's persona, history, context,
discourse, the internet and the circulation of
the materials that contribute to its meaning.
Each critique will be split into two parts as an
experiment in meaning construction.
Students will be asked to present an artwork to
the rest of the class - the presenting artist
will not be able to contribute at this point,
while the rest of the class spend some time
collectively unpacking and discussing what
meanings the work elicits.
In the second part of the critique, the same
artist will present a short artist talk which
they would have worked on throughout the weeks in
the class. The artist can present directly on the
artwork they have shared, or more generally on
their art practice. This can be performative, or
a more traditional artist talk as long as the
artist is sharing with the group where they are
coming from when making work. It can be about one
specific aspect of the work - such as the history
of a material used - or a particular research
dimension.
The class will then be able to engage further by
asking questions or creating more discussions.
This allows the artist in the class to find ways
to bridge the gap between their intentions and
the artwork itself, and also brings the artist's
voice in relation to the work, allowing them to
think creatively about ways to do this in their
practice. The objective is to understand that
discourse is as important as the artwork itself.