ARTH 468(S) Game Show, An Exhibition Praxis
Throughout the 20th century, the world of games has intrigued visual artists,
who have adapted game structures and themes to their work. This course will examine
artists' games as they developed over the past century, especially in the Dada,
Surrealist, and Fluxus movements, and in the work of Marcel Duchamp and Öyvind
Fahlstöm. It will consider the importance of games in 20th century philosophy,
particularly in the work of Nietzche, Freud, Wittgenstein, and Huizinga. The bulk
of the course will focus on the proliferation of artists' games, including new
media work, during the 1990s. Contemporary artists to be discussed include Kay
Rosen, Natalie Bookchin, Uri Tzaig, Maurizio Cattelan, Gabriel Orzoco, Sophie
Calle, Chris Finley, Christian Jankowski, Matthew Ritchie, and Eric Zimmerman.
The course is offered in conjunction with Game Show, an exhibition of contemporary
artists' games at MASS MoCA scheduled to open in June, 2001. It will explore issues
involved in presenting this topic as an exhibition and ways that an exhibition
structures the subject at hand.
Course requirements: class discussion, class presentations, 15- to 20-page research
paper. Enrollment limited to 12 students.
Hour: HEON