What does it mean to make art about the contemporary world? What does it mean for a work of art to make that world? This course traces contemporary artistic practice to key moments of internationalism and globalization, from decolonial movements and Cold War realignments to the watershed events of 1989, current considerations of ecological crisis, and the rise of new nationalisms. Mobilizing interdisciplinary theoretical frameworks and foregrounding first-hand engagement with art on campus, it introduces contemporary art as a vital means to comprehend and reimagine our disputed, but incontrovertibly shared globality today.
