From autonomy to usage; aesthetic research on art

elective seminars
general courses

(in Polish) Orientacja w zakresie nowożytnej i współczesnej filozofii i estetyki. Zainteresowanie teorią XX- wiecznych awangard, problematyką krytycznego potencjału sztuki i afektywnej sprawczości twórczych działań w epoce post-artystycznej.

While analysing texts by philosophers and art critics (such as: I. Kant, F. Schiller, T. W. Adorno, P. Bürger, C. Greenberg, H. Broch, C. Bishop, N. Bouriand, J. Rancierre, S. Wright) we will be subjecting to revision the traditional interpretations of aesthetic categories from the perspective of bringing back to art the critical potential. We will be analysing instances of both – autonomy as well as social instrumentation of creativity – and reveal its current’ interceptions’ by mechanisms of capitalism.We will be analysing the arguments in favour of the necessity to make art autonomous from the achieved shape of political life in the name of anticipation of political life’s new configurations. We will be subjecting to analysis various forms of art’s engagement; the discussion about art that is criticising, relational, or participatory, and the post-artistic activities undertaken towards solving local problems and global threat.

The topics of the seminar meetings will be selected (from the proposals listed below) after discussion with the participants during the first classes. The given topic is planned for at least one three-hour meeting.

Proposed topics:

The beauty cult and aesthetism- critically; reflection on kitsch (Broch, Kundera, Adorno),

At the foundation of aesthetic autonomy in modern philosophy (from Kant to Schiller).

Creativity as a category of aesthetics and its interception by modern capitalism.

Experimental searches for beauty and subservient role of artists toward society (in the programs of, among others, Arts and Crafts, Bauhaus, and in Polish avant-garde between the World Wars)

Architectural-urban planning programs in Modernism and architectonization of life.

The avant-garde criticism of art institutions in urban society and dialectics of the autonomy of the arts – theory of the avant-garde (Peter Bürger)

.Aesthetics of resistance (Th. W. Adorno)

.Participatory art (Claire Bishop).

Project aesthetics as politics (Rancierre) and critical art in Poland.

Affective potential of political impact of art.

From art to life – engaged creativity in post-artistic epoch (S.Wright).

P.Bürger, „Teoria awangardy”, Kraków, 2006; F. Schiller, „Listy o estetycznym wychowaniu człowieka”, „Aletheia”, Warszawa, 2011; I. Kant, „Krytyka władzy sądzenia”, PWN, Warszawa, 1986; J. Rancierre, „Estetyka jako polityka”, Warszawa, „Krytyka polityczna”, Warszawa, 2007, tegoż: „Na brzegach politycznego”, Korporacja Ha!art, Kraków, 2008; tegoż: „Dzielenie postrzegalnego”, Korporacja Ha!art, Kraków, 2007; A. Żmijewski, „Stosowane sztuki społeczne”; H. Broch, „Kilka uwag o kiczu i inne eseje”, „Czytelnik”, Warszawa, 1998; C. Greenberg, „Obrona modernizmu”. Wybór esejów, „Universitas”, Kraków, 2006; M. Kundera, „Nieznośna lekkość bytu”, Warszawa, 1996; Th. W. Adorno, „Teoria estetyczna”, Warszawa.1994; tegoż: „Minima moralia. Refleksje z poharatanego życia”, Kraków. 1999; P. Bourdieu „Dystynkcja. Społeczna krytyka władzy sądzenia”, Warszawa 2006; ; N. Bourriaud, „Estetyka relacyjna”, Kraków 1998; C. Bishop,” Sztuczne piekła. Sztuka partycypacyjna i polityka widowni”, Warszawa 2015; H. Foster, „Post-krytyczność”, [w:] „Teksty Drugie”, nr 6, 2015; B. Latour, „Why Has Critique Run out of Steam? From Matters of Fact to Matters of Concern”,, T. Pękala, „Awangarda i ariergarda. Filozofia sztuki nowoczesnej”, Lublin, 2000; J . P. Hudzik „U podstaw estetyki. Główne problemy kantowskiej estetyki w świetle filozofii i kultury”, Lublin 1996; J. Kornhauser, „Awangarda. Strajki, zakłócenia, deformacje”, Wyd. UJ, Kraków 2017, S.Wright ,” W stronę leksykonu użytkowania”, „Bęc Zmiana”, 2014.

Scope of the literature for this seminar will be specified after consultation with the participants.

The student knows the philosophical and cultural premises of aesthetic autonomy. He/She has knowledge of the avant-garde reinstatement of relationships between art and reality.

He/She critically analyses the category of beauty, aestheticism and kitsch. He/She gains knowledge about avant-garde searches for socially useful beauty in modernity, while simultaneously being able to subject to critical evaluation the modernistic projects of architectonization of life. He/She is aware that current creative activities may extend beyond institutional limits of art.

The student is able to indicate avant-garde sources of the stance of involvement in social matters and in the articulation of lack of consent to established reality that are undertaken by contemporary artists.

He/She, after the course meetings, is able to situate activities of modern artists in the wider cultural context. He/She gains competences conducive to social activism. He/She also recognizes the utilitarian value of post-artistic, creative activities directed toward solving problems that are of local and global character.

Additional learning outcomes for PhD students:

He/She thoroughly knows the arguments formulated in the fields of modern philosophy and art criticism that speak for emancipation of art from life. She/he is able to point to arguments that speak for the aesthetics of engagement and resistance that valorises acts of creative lack of consent to established reality. He/She knows current discussions pertaining to relational and critical art, aesthetics as politics, affective potential of art and impact of artistic intrusions into the social field.

He/She can efficiently applies contemporary aesthetics theories to reflection on critical subversive and affective potential of art and other-than-artistic interferences in social life.

He/ She can apply the acquired knowledge to critical analysis of strategies applied by contemporary artists focused on generating social changes, solving current problems or searching for new configurations of social life.

It will be required, as part of the credit for this course, to develop and present at least one of the seminar topics (a paper to be graded) and to participate in discussions at seminar meetings.

Additional assessment criteria for PhD students:

Writing a final paper on the issues discussed during the seminar.

Number of absences: 1