GISDepartment of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies

Since the late 19th century we have witnessed a number of art movements, from what is considered modern to contemporary: the birth of realism, impressionism, abstract expressionism, minimalism, the rise of conceptual art, installation, video and pop art, the extension into earth, body, public domain, the revival of painting, the exploration into photography, towards more relational, participatory and collaborative practice. Amidst all these transformations, how can we recognize such qualities that make ‘art’ art?, and how can each of us engage with an individual artwork/artist both interdisciplinary and personally? This course looks at contemporary art from various perspectives and appreciate its richness and complexity. Artistic practices in Europe, North America, Asia and other areas across the globe will be examined.

Students will become familiar with voices of artists, historians and critics, and understand them in certain contexts from late modern to contemporary times.
Students will become active and discerning participants/viewers of art, equipped with basic knowledges and respectful attitude.
Students will become comfortable with expressing their thoughts and feelings on art, and enjoy having artistic dialogues with others.

Will be able to gain “DP 1”, “DP 2”, “DP 3”, and “DP 4”.

英語 / English

I will provide a referential material as a post on Google Classroom in prior to each class. In the class, we will read texts, watch video clips & look at lecture slides to learn about the key terms and artistic backgrounds of a milieu of artwork that will help us understand and engage with the work. We will also have in-class exercises and time for questions at the end. Unless your question involves something personal, please ask during this time. In addition, you are required to attend at least one off-campus museum or gallery exhibition relevant to the course (determined by the instructor). You will then make presentations and write a research papers. You will be also asked to explore your own creative possibility, inspired by the shared learnings and experiments, at the end of the course.

Feedback to the in-class exercises will be provided in the next class as well as through the Google Classroom as comments where students are asked to submit them.
The feedbacks to the assignments, the presentations, and the experiments will be provided through the Google Classroom as comments as well as in the class.

Any syllabus changes will be notified at the beginning of the semester in person as well as through the Google Classroom.



NOTE 1: Please be aware that some works shown in class may address controversial issues and may include nudity.
NOTE 2: The schedule and the content may change in response to the students’ needs.

あり / Yes

あり / Yes

授業形態/methods of teaching：対面/face to face

※各回の授業形態は予定です。教員の指示に従ってください。

1[対面/face to face]：Introduction

Overview of the course: experiencing 'contemporary' art

2[対面/face to face]：New Ways of Perception

Romanticism, Impressionism, Cubism (William Turner, Gustave Courbet, Édouard Manet, Paul Cezanne, Pablo Picasso)

3[対面/face to face]：Modern Life and the Wars

Symbolism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Bauhaus (Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, Edvard Munch, Paul Gauguin)

4[対面/face to face]：Europe and America

Abstract Expressionism, Art Informel, Pop Art, Minimalism (Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, Jean Dubuffet, Frank Stella, Andy Warhole, Donald Judd, Agnes Martin)

5[対面/face to face]：From Modern to Contemporary

Post Minimalism, Fluxus, Performance Art, Land Art (Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Beauys, Vito Acconci, Fujiko Nakaya, John Cage, Marce Cunningham)

6[対面/face to face]：[Excursion]

To be announced

7[対面/face to face]：Institutional Critique

Conceptual Art, Dematerialization, Installation Art (Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Kosuth, Jiro Takamatsu, Micheal Asher)

8[対面/face to face]：Criticism of Social Norms, and…

Neo Expressionism, Queer Art, Political Art (Ansel Kiefer, Yasumasa Morimura, Felix Gonzales-Torres, Barbara Kruger)

9[対面/face to face]：Impossibility of Representation

Counter Monument and Architecture (Rachel Whiteread, Isamu Noguchi, Daniel Libeskind)

10[対面/face to face]：Story Telling

Relational Art, Participatory Art, Video Installation (Rirkrit Tiravaniya, Koki Tanaka, William Kentridge, Neshat Shirin)

11[対面/face to face]：Research Workshop 1

Student presentations 1

12[対面/face to face]：Research Workshop 2

Student presentations 2

13[対面/face to face]：Research Workshop 3

Student presentations 3

14[対面/face to face]：Experimentation & Wrap-up

Experimentations for interdisciplinary and creative minds

Students need to keep up with the class materials (readings, videos and so forth) and to be prepared for class discussions and activities. As part of their research, students are required to make at least one visit to an art exhibition suggested by the instructor in order to prepare their presentations and research papers. Preparatory study and review time for this class are a maximum of 2 hours each.

No textbook will be used. Readings will be made available on Google Classroom.

References will be made available on Google Classroom.

Participation (30%): Students will be expected to spend time with the referential materials (text and video clip) posted on Google Classroom for each class. Students are invited to share and exchange their thoughts and feelings in the class. Students will complete comment cards (as part of In-class-exercise) and submit at the end of the class or 5pm the next day. A self-guided field trip to one exhibition and the presentation and paper based on this (see below).
Short Presentation (20%): Present the chosen work to class that you engage with during your self-guid museum/gallery visit. Project Paper (30%): Write a paper, which is more than the written version of your presentation. Rather, it is a research paper and you will need to find and discuss an article on the artwork or the artist of your choice.
Experimentation (20%): Students will experiment to connect a topic from the class to your interdisciplinary interest, to draw an idea for new art, and together follow instructions for making an artwork. 


I have made the reaction comments due by 5pm on the next day. This will be fairer especially for slow-writing students.

I have updated some class contents to make it more accessible for students with diverse interests.

Do not miss the first class as a selection process may occur.

None.