Global Contemporary Art: An Introduction



Overview

Do you want to learn more about contemporary art practices? Discover pioneering artists such as Ai Weiwei, Haegue Yang, Melati Suryodarmo and Danh Võ as they explore their cultural backgrounds while engaging with global issues. Their art not only reflects the interconnectedness of diverse cultural spheres but also challenges traditional notions of art history that have long focused on a single dominant narrative, thereby deliberately excluding artistic practices outside Europe and America.

Global Contemporary Art presents an introduction to artistic practices of the 20th and 21st centuries and aims to familiarise students with key themes, methods and movements in contemporary art history through a global lens. The course will explore how art can serve as a platform for social and political commentary, transcending geographical boundaries and fostering dialogue between different communities. Utilising case studies from regions such as China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and their diasporas, students will be prompted to critically analyse how contemporary artists have been actively shaping and reshaping the art world. The classes will touch upon a variety of key critical concepts and approaches in the study of contemporary art, including conceptualism, appropriation, embodiment, site-specificity, institutional critique, relational aesthetics and globalism.

The lectures, in-class discussions and assigned readings will centre around a particular concept, genre or approach each week. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with a rich set of theoretical and analytical tools that enable a critical understanding of global contemporary art. 

This course is open to all students and does not require prior knowledge of languages other than English.

Programme details

Course starts: 3 October 2024

Week 1: Introduction: On Being Contemporary (MC/ML)

Week 2: Multiple Modernities & Contemporaneities? (MC/ML)

Week 3: Idea over Object: Conceptualism Reconsidered (ML)

Week 4: Wham! Whoosh! Kapow! Pop Art and the Global (ML)

Week 5: Body: Embodied and Embedded (MC)

Week 6: Art of Activism, Activism of Art (MC) 

Week 7: Interventions in Space: Site-specific Art Practices (ML)

Week 8: Exhibitions on the Move (MC)

Week 9: Study Session at the Ashmolean Museum (MC/ML)

Week 10: Concluding Discussion & Essay Tutorial (MC/ML)

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutors

Ms Minji Chun

Minji Chun is a DPhil Candidate in History of Art at the University of Oxford, where she researches socially engaged art in contemporary Korea. Interested in the ways of interpreting narratives of unmentioned histories and spaces, she also works as an art critic, curator, and translator. After studying contemporary art history (Seoul National University), French language & literature and digital arts (Yonsei University), she served as a curatorial assistant at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Her projects centering on Asian contemporary art have been supported by Asia-Europe Foundation, Korea Foundation, and Arts Council Korea among others.

Mr Maximilian Langefeld

Minji Chun is a DPhil Candidate in History of Art at the University of Oxford, where she researches socially engaged art in contemporary Korea. Interested in the ways of interpreting narratives of unmentioned histories and spaces, she also works as an art critic, curator, and translator. After studying contemporary art history (Seoul National University), French language & literature and digital arts (Yonsei University), she served as a curatorial assistant at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. Her projects centring on Asian contemporary art have been supported by Asia-Europe Foundation, Korea Foundation, and Arts Council Korea among others.

Maximilian Langefeld is a DPhil Candidate in History of Art at the University of Oxford, where he researches queer art and visual activism in China and the Chinese diaspora. His broader area of interest encompasses transcultural currents, decolonial projects and curatorial practices, among others. Maximilian holds degrees in Contemporary Art & Art Theory (SOAS, University of London) and East Asian Studies (Heidelberg University) and previously worked at Sotheby’s in London and the Museum of Modern Art in New York. His current research is generously supported by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the University of Oxford.

Course aims

This course will enable students:

  • to gain familiarity with a range of artists, works and exhibitions that are considered seminal to the development of contemporary art.
  • to gain a critical understanding of what makes contemporary art scenes outside of North America and Europe distinct within their social, political and cultural contexts.
  • to explore key theoretical and analytical approaches in the study of contemporary art from a global perspective.
  • to improve their ability to express reasoned and critical analyses of works of art using a variety of methods and sources.
  • to communicate their own ideas about the art of the period and widen their viewpoint through discussions with other students.

Teaching methods

The course will be taught using short, illustrated lectures, coupled with tutor-led interactive discussions, student presentations and independent/group work in class. Handouts summarising key terms and concepts will be provided.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • understand the breadth and diversity of contemporary art from a global perspective.
  • have developed skills in visual analysis and looking at art objects in detail.
  • discuss seminal artists, artworks and exhibitions in the contemporary art scene.
  • understand the social, political and cultural factors that make contemporary art unique in its global/local context.

Assessment methods

One tutor-set essay of 1,500 words (summative assessment) at the end of the course alongside one informal presentation of no more than 10 minutes (formative assessment). Further details will be provided in class.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support