ABSENT

This class will consider absence (also known as
"negative space") as content and a composition
tool for creating installations, sculptures, and
conceptual art works. This class focuses on the
presence of absence, and will consider the
political and commodity value of absence. This
class also aims to consider "absence" in relation
to art production effected by newer social
behavior that is evolving in the current global
pandemic.

While many past and current artworks will be
referenced in class discussions, together we will
closely examine these artworks: Lee Lozano's "Drop
out Piece" (1970); David Hammons "Blizzard Ball
Sale" (1983) and "Day's End" (2019); Doris
Salcedo's " Shibboleth' (2007) and "Fragmentos"
(2018); as well as two Whitney Biennial 2022
artworks, Raven Chacon's installation "Silent
Choir", and EJ Hill's pink page* (*This piece has
no title or listing, only a pink page in the
Biennial catalog). I will be instructing weekly
exercises for composition based on my practice
with installation, performance, sculpture and
conceptual art. The writings on human strike by
the conceptual art duo Claire Fontaine, and
"Positive and Negative Peace" essay by Johan
Galtung, will be central to reading for class
discussions.

Over the course of the class, students will
participate in 2 critiques of their artworks that
reflect the themes of the class. One presentation
must be of new work created specifically for this
class. Student's projects will be encouraged to
consider installations in sites off campus as well
as in studio.