This thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how...Show moreThis thesis examines the visual language of the 'Mouvement National de Liberation de l’Azawad' and how Azawad aims to visually legitimize itself as a nation. Its multi-ethnic demographics show how a public can assume its own agency through visual works created in a group setting. While the interstice is determined to be a space where communication outside of the norm can take place, the use of ‘banal nationalism’ as described by Michael Billig shows that, if anything, the location of this interstice is difficult to determine. The group agency does not translate to the presentation of the works outside of the region as is shown in the work Jonas Staal presented in Utrecht at Basis Aktuele Kunst in 2012. Instead, the works have been re-appropriated to fit within Staal’s concept of a ‘stateless state’. Bourriaud’s theory on relational aesthetics along with Ernesto Laclau’s description of emancipatory dimensions allow for a discussion on the public’s involvement in the creation of the ‘self’ in relation to the ‘other’. Michael Billig’s concepts on nationalism create an interdisciplinary approach in this thesis and show that this legitimization is partly achieved through the use of the language of banal nationalism.Show less
A research on the relation between Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and the Dutch architects of the Nieuwe Bouwen movement. Focus on the influence of the Finnish architect on the Dutch architects.
Central to much analysis and research within the artistic field is the artwork itself, as an object, a product, experience or situation that has been made or created by an artist; therefore,...Show moreCentral to much analysis and research within the artistic field is the artwork itself, as an object, a product, experience or situation that has been made or created by an artist; therefore, discourse often revolves around the reception of art and the intentionality or mastery of the artworks creator – i.e. how the work is received and why it was created. Artworks can be exhibited, the reception of them can be studied, often classified and interpreted in such a way that evaluations can be made according to the criteria of the established discipline of Art History, and although this type of formal and critical analysis can sometimes extend to considering the reception of the artists themselves, often in relation to their creative intentions, choices or use of materials and techniques, discourse marginally elaborates upon or questions how art emerges or what takes place during the artistic process when maker meets matter, or vice versa. The lack of discussion and focus upon the material engagement involved throughout the creative process is what this thesis aims to emphasise, by questioning our contemporary understanding of what takes place when maker meets matter and proposing how a material view on art can allow for and encourage a new understanding to be put forth regarding this dynamic interaction within contemporary art discourse.Show less
This thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically...Show moreThis thesis explores the position the artwork Autonomy Cube (2014) by Trevor Paglen and Jacob Appelbaum takes in what Gilles Deleuze has termed the “Society of Control”. Deleuze specifically discusses this society by outlining a development from a disciplined society, constituted by enclosed spaces, to a control society characterized by a more fragmented sense of space. Departing from this spatial theorization of the society of control by Deleuze, this thesis takes the spatial tension between the bordered territory of the nation-state and the borderless realm of the internet as a starting point for thinking about the (public) space that this society provides. Autonomy Cube’s position within this space is analysed by looking at how the artwork, through the online Tor network it gives access to, engages with the complex spatiality that forms the core of the society of control. From there on it is argued that this artwork does not limit itself to a (critical) representation of the control society, but that it positions itself at the center of its logic in order to rebuild and modulate it from within. As such, this thesis aims to shed light on the extent to which art can be consequential for real life in times of the increasing digitalization of society and, more specifically, of the modes of surveillance and control that structure it.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
As we are living in a globalizing world, the local is defined by the global and the global by the local. There is a constant fluid connection between these paradoxes and artists from all over the...Show moreAs we are living in a globalizing world, the local is defined by the global and the global by the local. There is a constant fluid connection between these paradoxes and artists from all over the world are responding to this interplay. A lot of contemporary photographers deal with issues that arise around the visualization of cultural identity. Photography appears in many different forms, for instance true to life or arranged on forehand or afterwards, though photography is by many still seen as pre-eminent a medium that shows the viewer a reproduction of reality. This research focuses on the visualization of cultural identity through arranged photography as photography is becoming more and more a construction, and these constructions provide other angles towards this visualization. This study aims to contribute to the recent debates, concerning contemporary photography, cultural identity and the portrayal of the contemporary human being by investigating the different ways in which cultural identity is being visualized in the works of Hans Eijkelboom, Jimmy Nelson and Shadi Ghadirian.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
In this thesis I discuss the way art can be fruitful to the conversation about human enhancement that is sparked by the development of the genetic engineering technique called CRISPR. Drawing on...Show moreIn this thesis I discuss the way art can be fruitful to the conversation about human enhancement that is sparked by the development of the genetic engineering technique called CRISPR. Drawing on theories by Brian Massumi, Georges Bataille, Michel Serres, Rosi Braidotti, Andrew Lapworth and Karen Barad, I argue that bioart has the ability to show that our existence is in its core relational and that this awareness is of importance to an alternate scientific and ethical attitude. I relate this to artworks made by Stelarc, Adam Zaretsky, Revital Cohen, Critical Art Ensemble, Paul Vanouse, Faith Wilding, Kathy High and Eduardo Kac, and show how the agency of their material works provide different epistemological frameworks. Whereas in daily life things and phenomena are often treated as separated but clearly defined and therefore understandable entities, in the projects of these artists the complex and muddy notion of intersubjectivity as a process of becoming is centralized. The incorporation of art in discussions about technological innovations like CRISPR is therefore significant due to its focus on inclusion in contrast to methods of exclusion. The diverse viewpoints that are present in the human enhancement debate exemplify that finding the right definition of what is at stake sometimes cannot be achieved through language and representations. Instead, it has to be known through art’s affective happening in which different desires, implications and heuristic models all find their affirmation.Show less
This thesis explored in what ways, and to what extent Ahmet Öğüt’s 'Intern VIP Lounge' (2013) can be considered ‘critical practice.’ 'Intern VIP Lounge' was a VIP lounge at Art Dubai 2013 that was...Show moreThis thesis explored in what ways, and to what extent Ahmet Öğüt’s 'Intern VIP Lounge' (2013) can be considered ‘critical practice.’ 'Intern VIP Lounge' was a VIP lounge at Art Dubai 2013 that was exclusively accessible for interns working at the art fair or the galleries in Dubai. Situated at the heart of an art fair, Öğüt’s artistic installation focused on art world’s intern. The thesis’ three chapters consecutively address the subject of the intern in relation to the ‘precariat’ and context of the precarious condition; the installation as a space of ‘unconcealment’ making visible the ‘natural order of things’ as structured and structuring structure that works to keep things as they are; and how events that took place within the installation as ‘knowledge exchange space’ appear affirmative of values that work to maintain the precarious condition. As such, it aims to shed light on the complex, critical role of art in times of dissolving boundaries between art and capitalism - considering artists and cultural workers as part of capitalist production, and all subjected to the global precarious condition.Show less
Bio art and Do-it-yourself biology have presented themselves as ground breaking new movements of the humanities working with the life sciences. They attempt to bring the scientific debate to the...Show moreBio art and Do-it-yourself biology have presented themselves as ground breaking new movements of the humanities working with the life sciences. They attempt to bring the scientific debate to the general public, both in their own way. However, are they really that different from each other in their attempt to break the scientific status quo, and with what means do they attempt to communicate with the general public? This paper will focus on the current status of bio art and DIY biology and their interaction with the general public, and explores the role of the academics in this situation.Show less
