Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This thesis analyzes the art performance The Modern Procession, organized by the Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Belgium-Mexican artist Francis Alÿs (1959), and performed on June 23,...Show moreThis thesis analyzes the art performance The Modern Procession, organized by the Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Belgium-Mexican artist Francis Alÿs (1959), and performed on June 23, 2002, in New York City. By using interdisciplinary literary research and comparative media research, this unique performance is first studied from an art performance perspective, with a focus on art performances held on the streets. Secondly the performance is placed in the context of definitions of religious processions, and in the third chapter, the Modern Procession is analyzed from an anthropological and social-geographical standpoint. This thorough analysis does not only reveal the many layers of the Modern Procession, but also what happens when art is taken out of the museum and presented in a new context. By presenting the collection of the MoMA on the streets of New York, the connection between collections and museums is made clear: it is namely art that forms the real heart of a museum, not the building where it is displayed.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
open access
In the age of the Anthropocene, we are faced with unprecedented challenges; we have realized we are exploiting the Earth’s resources, society is becoming more complex, and urbanization is...Show moreIn the age of the Anthropocene, we are faced with unprecedented challenges; we have realized we are exploiting the Earth’s resources, society is becoming more complex, and urbanization is increasing at a rate never before witnessed. Understanding these challenges is loaded with uncertainty, both in defining the problems and how humanity should respond. One response is that of urban sustainability. Primarily addressed from the perspective of urban planning, urban sustainability focuses on infrastructural and technological solutions. This thesis posits that questions of sustainability in cities however cannot be disconnected from the cultural dimension. Using a comparative case study of two festivals – Burning Man and DGTL Amsterdam – the relationship between humans and their surroundings is explored. The analysis of the festivals focuses on the manifestation of ‘sustainability’ as a set of values through the artworks presented on the festival terrain and the framing of the festival experience. Political ecology theories are used as tools to explore the relationship between humans and their environment. Urban experimentation acts as a theoretical lens to understand the festival as a ‘microcosm’, a breeding ground for creativity and culture, and likening it to the city. The thesis presents a reading of urban festivals that outlines how culture can be introduced to urban sustainability research in response to questions to test political ecology in practice. In doing so, the thesis brings together the once disparate categories of human and nature.Show less
The ability to print objects in three-dimensions is a new form of copying that has recently entered the art world. Even though we are familiar with the replication of art, there is a rising...Show moreThe ability to print objects in three-dimensions is a new form of copying that has recently entered the art world. Even though we are familiar with the replication of art, there is a rising awareness of the existence of replicating famous artworks through 3D printing for it offers something new compared to previous replication methods (e.g. photography and film). With 3D technologies it is possible to replicate both texture and the visual qualities of art at a high resolution including every minor detail at a very fast pace. Moreover, the prints are made of polymer, a material resistant to environmental changes. With the rapid speed at which technology has been developing in the twenty-first century it will only be a matter of time before 3D prints become more accurate, cheaper to manufacture and – because of the internet and social media – accessible to almost everyone. It is inevitable that a large quantity of high quality one–to–one replications of original artworks will be introduced on the art market, in museums and in people’s homes. This thesis tries to investigate what the existence of indistinguishable prints will mean for the perception and authenticity of the original artwork and whether or not 3D printing can be used in the advantage of the original as a tool to conserve the original. Furthermore this thesis touches upon the possibility of the authentication of the replica and what this will mean for the original work of art in the present and future.Show less
Vanuit een naar eigen zeggen oprechte interesse in ‘de ander’ bezocht de van oorsprong Italiaanse kunstenares Deborah Ligorio (g. 1972) in 2009 de Omo-vallei in Zuid-Ethiopië. Ligorio wilde...Show moreVanuit een naar eigen zeggen oprechte interesse in ‘de ander’ bezocht de van oorsprong Italiaanse kunstenares Deborah Ligorio (g. 1972) in 2009 de Omo-vallei in Zuid-Ethiopië. Ligorio wilde onderzoeken hoe inheemse gemeenschappen zich verhouden tot de globaliserende wereld. In relatief afgelegen gebieden in Zuid-Ethiopië observeerde Ligorio de impact van toerisme en globalisering op lokale economieën van bevolkingsgroepen die tot voor kort een zelfvoorzienend bestaan leidden. De tentoonsetlling is aangegrepen om een aantal reflecties op en analyses over de postkoloniale en de etnografische blik op 'De Ander' en hoe het werk van Ligorio dat medieert. Het werk van de kunstenares is vooral de aanleiding geweest ideeën over het omgaan met en toegang tot onbekende, buiten-Europese culturen te toetsen en aan te scherpen.Show less
Since entering the international fine arts market in the 1970s, Indigenous Australian art has long contended with its positioning within a system that — until very recently — was ascribed to an...Show moreSince entering the international fine arts market in the 1970s, Indigenous Australian art has long contended with its positioning within a system that — until very recently — was ascribed to an exhibitionary method based on Western epistemology only. Debates surrounding the display of so-called ‘non-Western’ art and its place in modernity and the fine arts institution have produced several responses in the form of curatorial strategies. These strategies have emerged both in light of an increasing public awareness of the role of the curator in the representation of culture, and in the context of the museum as an inherently contentious space of knowledge construction. This thesis centres on the identification of these strategies, and its usage in four case studies. These case studies include the exhibitions fluent (1997), held at the 47th Venice Biennale, Theme Park (2008) at the Museum of Contemporary Aboriginal Art (AAMU), Indigenous Australia: Enduring Civilisation (2015), held at the British Museum and Frontier Imaginaries (2015 - ongoing), a travelling exhibition. By evaluating the applications of these strategies, this thesis sheds light on the manner in which curatorial strategies have formed the display of contemporary Indigenous art, and further highlights potentially impactful developments in the field of contemporary curation.Show less
This thesis examines the role and function of art collections in corporations such as banks. The study focuses on the Icelandic banks, Arion Banki, Landsbanki and Íslandsbanki using ABN AMRO Bank...Show moreThis thesis examines the role and function of art collections in corporations such as banks. The study focuses on the Icelandic banks, Arion Banki, Landsbanki and Íslandsbanki using ABN AMRO Bank in the Netherlands as a comparison. For this examination the three main reasons corporations give for collecting art are discussed; employee well-being, corporate image and corporate social responsibility. By using available research and interviews conducted with the case studies, it became evident, that if a company is serious about its art collection and would like to utilize it further than simply as mere wall decoration, it could be fruitful to employ an in-house curator with an art degree who can communicate with employees and other stakeholders about the art. By utilizing the art in a professional manner, it can have positive effect on employees moral and productivity, portray a positive corporate image and help to fulfill a corporation´s social responsibility by making their art collection (which often includes heritage artworks) available for the public and by contributing to the arts economy.Show less
Using three different national representations from the 55th Venice Biennale as case studies, this thesis investigates the complexities of post Yugoslav national identities as articulated through...Show moreUsing three different national representations from the 55th Venice Biennale as case studies, this thesis investigates the complexities of post Yugoslav national identities as articulated through different positions and experiences of their makers. Through the examination of individual local and state narratives across selected post Yugoslav states (Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo), I ask whether we can begin to see a larger picture of the region in question, in the process that Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak refers to as “learning to speak to”.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This thesis explores the exhibition-tryptic Crisis of History held at the gallery space Framer Framed in Amsterdam in 2014-2015. It investigates how its practices can be regarded as innovative in...Show moreThis thesis explores the exhibition-tryptic Crisis of History held at the gallery space Framer Framed in Amsterdam in 2014-2015. It investigates how its practices can be regarded as innovative in shaping discourses on contemporary art. The exhibition looks critically at how ‘non-Western’ art has been dealt with in exhibition practices as well as in academic discourses and aims to present alternative visions. I have used the notions minor curating by Cotter and histoire croisée by Werner and Zimmermann, as well as Keshmirshekan’s critical history of contemporary art of Iran to conceptualise the exhibition practices of Crisis of History’s curators Robert Kluijver and Elham Puriyamehr. I have particularly zoomed-in on part #3 of the triptych as the layering of perspectives is most clearly visible here. The exhibition practices include strategies of self-representation, intellectual artistic positioning and open-endedness due to the equal importance of exhibition display and public programming. The use of the artworks, the offering of multiple and layered voices deployed in the exhibition practice shows how the interaction between theory, curatorial visions and artistic imagining of alternative pasts and futures brings the field of contemporary art forward in articulating visions towards the development of an inclusive art history.Show less
This thesis will consist of two parts and three chapters. The first part will start with an overview of women artist in Turkey between the 1830’s and the 1990’s. The 1830’s are The Tanzimat...Show moreThis thesis will consist of two parts and three chapters. The first part will start with an overview of women artist in Turkey between the 1830’s and the 1990’s. The 1830’s are The Tanzimat Period15 of the Ottoman Empire, which is the starting point of modernization in social and political life. This modernization has resulted in women becoming more visible in the social life and started to be educated in arts. The second chapter will focus on the Dream and Reality exhibition organized by Istanbul Modern Museum. I will also evaluate these exhibitions in terms of two types of museums that Eilean Hooper-Greenhill describes in her book Museums and the Interpretation of Visual Culture. Hooper- Greenhill categorizes museums in two; fist being the modernist museum and the second is the post museum. The main distinction between them is, the modern museum focuses more on crating grand narrative sand educating the society. The post museum is more about the experience of the visitor and museum aims to create a space for different perspectives and values to be discussed. One of the aims of my thesis is to contribute to the museum studies in Turkey by bringing the concept of post museum into the discourse. I will try to prove that Istanbul Modern is a post museum through its permanent collection, its temporary exhibitions and also with its educational programs. The exhibition will be analyzed in detail and compared with the 1993 Female Artists exhibition. The second part of this thesis will focus on the three major issues these women artists are focusing on: women as the symbol of modernity in Turkey; gender and body; and also identity derived from and tested against artworks from the Dream and Reality exhibition under discussion.Show less
More and more artists have been practicing socially engaged participatory art in China, but the discourse in the field is underdeveloped, and little research has been done on it. In order to...Show moreMore and more artists have been practicing socially engaged participatory art in China, but the discourse in the field is underdeveloped, and little research has been done on it. In order to provide insights into this subject area, this thesis studies existing practices in China and examines the artistic approaches and the museum collaboration in the practice. In the thesis a literature review discusses the current situation of socially engaged participatory art practice in China, and forms a theoretical framework for evaluating this practice. Furthermore, case studies of two art projects are conducted to evaluate the artistic approaches that have been taken up by the artists in their practice and the museum collaboration involved in it. The two projects are the Family Museum Project (2008) by the Utopia Group and the Qiuzhuang Project (2013-2014) by Li Mu. The findings from this research show that the artists’ practice of socially engaged participatory art has social significances in contemporary China, and the artists have experimented with creative ways to strive for public expression in the Chinese society; the museum collaboration with the artists’ practice could contribute to the social effect of this practice in China.Show less
This thesis offers an analysis of several contemporary artworks that address the role of imagery on the Internet, which increasingly constitutes our worldview. Although the key role of the Internet...Show moreThis thesis offers an analysis of several contemporary artworks that address the role of imagery on the Internet, which increasingly constitutes our worldview. Although the key role of the Internet in processes of interculturalization is often put forward, recent changes in the functioning of our browsers, search engines and our use of social media do not allow for worldviews to be expanded or enriched by the Internet. Rather, mechanisms such as ‘personalization’, the use of social media as multimedia browsers, and commercial governing hubs of images are likely to result in a reaffirmation of worldviews. Online visual culture plays a key role within these mechanisms. With different strategies and media, the works and online interventions discussed in this thesis elucidate important aspects of the way information and visual imagery on the Internet is mediated and disseminated.Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This research looks at two parallel theoretical approaches. The first deals with contemporary exhibitions and the curatorial procedures that are introduced in the 1960s, while the other focuses...Show moreThis research looks at two parallel theoretical approaches. The first deals with contemporary exhibitions and the curatorial procedures that are introduced in the 1960s, while the other focuses more on Conceptual Art and its emergence during the same period. After 1960s, many artists introduced a more experimental and conceptual dimension in their work therefore, art started altering. More specifically, the integration of postwar sculpture into Conceptual Art and vice versa, brought about a transition in the curatorial procedures that were developed during the 1960s in the Netherlands and beyond. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the ways in which this progression occurred, by analyzing the innovative approach of Wim Beeren in the exhibition ‘Op Losse Schroeven’ and 40 years later Cherix’s prudent idea in the exhibition ‘In and Out of Amsterdam’. Through this critical investigation, an adequate and appropriate assessment of the emergent ‘new art’ is offered in combination with the alteration of art production. Through this research I intended to examine the roles of both international and Dutch artists along with international and Dutch galleries and museums, in the emergence of the abovementioned 'new art'.Show less
Over the last thirty years, the globalization debate within the (contemporary) art discourse has gained and generated a lot of attention. However, in 2015, a real change has yet to happen. In this...Show moreOver the last thirty years, the globalization debate within the (contemporary) art discourse has gained and generated a lot of attention. However, in 2015, a real change has yet to happen. In this thesis I will lay out the debate, as well as look at how the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Tropenmuseum relate themselves to not only the discussion of globalization, but also to contemporary art with a global outlook (e.g. art from all over the world, as well as art that critically looks at the discussion of 'non-Western' art within art history). Even though the debate is going on for thirty years, the same questions are being asked, but what has really changed?Show less
Research master thesis | Arts and Culture (research) (MA)
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This thesis concerns the Afro-Brazilian cult of Candomblé, focusing on the work of Pierre Verger. The research presents Candomblé as a cultural-religious practice, which is the result of a cross...Show moreThis thesis concerns the Afro-Brazilian cult of Candomblé, focusing on the work of Pierre Verger. The research presents Candomblé as a cultural-religious practice, which is the result of a cross-cultural exchange, referring to the photography and discourse of Pierre Verger and other authors, such as Reginaldo Prandi, Roger Bastide and Babatunde Lawal. This work introduces Pierre Verger’s intimate relationship with Candomblé and the north-eastern Brazilian state of Bahia. The thesis reviews the history and constitution of Candomblé in the slave trade context of colonialism, its Yoruba roots, mythology, public ritual and initiation rite. Finally, the thesis attempts to frame Candomblé in an art historical perspective through the Yoruba metaphor of artistic creativity and the concept of orí.Show less
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