Politics of Display – Histories of / through Exhibitions

1–4 June 2015, Unifesp

This seminar will discuss the politics of display that underlie exhibitions, particularly in a transcultural and postcolonial perspective. The first part will analyze how the “Other” has been collected and exhibited since Early Modern times until today, offering an insight into the history of exhibitions, whilst the second part will discuss how history can be constructed through exhibitions. The seminar will consist in the analysis of case studies and readings, in the discussion of artistic practices reflecting or appropriating museum displays (Fred Wilson, Lothar Baumgarten, Coco Fusco, and others), in joint visits of exhibitions and in a conversation with a practitioner. Visits of the workshop Theoretical Challenges: A Revision of the Historiography of Colonial Art in the Iberian World will complete the seminar through the discussion of historiographical approaches.

June 1: Histories of Exhibitions – The Place of the “Other” in the Museum

Screening of Harun Farocki, The Silver and the Cross (2010) followed by a discussion based on the following readings from the exhibition catalogue The Potosí Principle (eds. Creischer et al., Köln 2010): Harun Farocki, “The Silver and the Cross” (p. 37–39) and Alice Creisher, “Primitive Accumulation, As Exemplified in Potosí” (p. 43 & 235–238).

Discussion of exhibition case studies and readings:

• Early Modern Collections and Wunderkammern: Anthony Alan Shelton, “Cabinets of Transgression: Renaissance Collections and the Incorporation of the New World,” in: John Elsner, Roger Cardinal (eds.), The Cultures of Collecting, London 1994, p. 177–203.
• World Fairs: Jane Chin Davidson, “The Global Art Fair and the Dialectical Image,” in: Third Text, Vol. 24, No. 6, 2010, p. 719–734
• ‘Primitivism’ in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, MoMA New York 1984: Thomas McEvilley, “Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief: “‘Primitivism’ in 20th Century Art” at the Museum of Modern Art in 1984,” in: Artforum, Vol. 23, No. 3, November 1984, p. 54–61.
• Magiciens de la terre, Paris 1989: Rasheed Araeen, “Our Bauhaus – Others’ Mudhouse,” in: Third Text, Vol. 3, No. 6, 1989, p. 3–14.
• Intense Proximity (La Triennale de Paris 2012) and other recent exhibitions: Sara Giannini, “‘J’est un autre:’ Notes on Cannibalism and Contemporary Art,” in: Hans Belting, Andrea Buddensieg, Peter Weibel (eds.), The Global Contemporary and the Rise of New Art Worlds, Karlsruhe/Cambridge 2013, p. 239–245.

June 2: Histories through Exhibitions – Museum Architecture and Exhibition Displays

Joint visit of the exhibitions Arte do Brasil até 1900 and Arte do Brasil no século 20, curated by Adriano Pedrosa at Museu de Arte de São Paulo MASP.

Practice-oriented exchange: conversation with curator Fredi Fischli

Discussion of the works of Lina Bo Bardi based on the reading: Olivia de Oliveira, “Lina Bo Bardi: Toward an Architecture Without Borders,” in: Jean-François Lejeune (ed.), Cruelty & Utopia: Cities and Landscapes of Latin America, New York 2005, p. 197–209.

June 3: Historiographical Challenges, Part I

Attendance of the workshop Desafios teóricos: uma revisão da historiografia da arte colonial no mundo ibérico, Auditório da Estação Pinacoteca

June 4: Historiographical Challenges, Part II

Joint visit of the exhibition A queda do céu at Paço das Artes

Attendance of the workshop Desafios teóricos: uma revisão da historiografia da arte colonial no mundo ibérico, Auditório da Estação Pinacoteca