Course Topics
Students will explore key terminology, critical theory, and art historical references relevant to contemporary practice, fostering a nuanced understanding of the diverse modes of cultural production that inform and contextualise artistic work today. Through the analysis of seminal works, assigned projects, and contemporary case studies, students will critically examine how conceptual intentions are translated into form, material, and context. The course encourages students to engage meaningfully with the materiality of their chosen media, and to articulate the relationship between form, content, and meaning. This process supports the development of a personal artistic language while situating students within broader discourses of contemporary art and visual culture. A central aim is to support students in identifying and reflecting upon emerging canons of artistic relevance and quality within today’s pluralistic art world. Active engagement with academic staff, visiting artists and/or curators, and peers will foster a dynamic learning environment characterised by dialogue, experimentation, and reflective practice. Students will be encouraged to think critically about their role as artists within society, and to understand artistic practice as a form of cultural inquiry and public discourse. Matilde Cassani, will focus on spatial practices giving fundamental technical and aesthetic parameters of exhibiting as an artistic practice. Students will gain hands-on experience in the use of models, drawings and photography for both documentation and the development of an installation.

Teaching format
Lectures; Hands-on practical workshops (e.g., video, visual design tools) Group and individual projects; Reading-based theory discussions; Museum and exhibition visits; Peer reviews and critique sessions; Dialogues with academic staff, visiting artists and/or curators.

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding - have acquired their own project methodology in the field of visual arts. This methodology includes the ability to oversee all phases of design, from the generation of ideas to the realisation of the finished project. Through the integrated teaching of project subjects and subjects of a technical, scientific and theoretical nature, graduates will be able to simultaneously address all these aspects and consider them as synonymous with the development of a project that is successful on a formal, technical, scientific and cultural level. - have acquired the ability to grasp and analyse contemporary cultural and social phenomena that characterise art. Disciplinary competence Knowledge and understanding - have acquired their own project methodology in the field of product visual arts, from the phase of planning to the phase of realisation of the project. - have acquired the basic technical, scientific and theoretical knowledge necessary to realise a project in the field of visual arts. - have acquired the basic knowledge necessary for further Master's studies in all components of project culture as well as in technical, scientific and theoretical subjects Applying knowledge and understanding - plan, develop and realise a project in the field of visual arts. - Be able to finalize the creation of an accomplished project in the field of visual art, thanks to the basic knowledge acquired in the technical, scientific and theoretical fields. - make use of the skills acquired during the course of study in the event of continuing studies in a Master's degree programme in the field of art and to develop them further. Transversal competence and soft skills Making judgements - Be able to make independent judgements for the purpose of developing their own design skills and in relation to all those decisions (technical, scientific and theoretical) that are necessary to bring a project to completion. - Be able to make independent judgements, both in the critical evaluation of their own work and in their ability to use the right interpretative tools in those contexts in which they will work professionally in the art field and/or continue their studies, also considering ethical and social aspects. Communication skills - present an independently realised project in the field of art in the form of an installation, orally as well as in writing in a professional manner. - to professionally communicate and substantiate their own decisions and justify them from a formal, technical and scientific point of view. Learning skills - have learned a design methodology at a professional level - in the sense of being able to identify, develop and realise solutions to complex design problems by applying the acquired knowledge in the technical, scientific and theoretical fields - in order to start a professional activity and/or continue their studies with a master's degree programme. - have developed a creative attitude and learned how to enhance it and develop it according to their own inclinations. - have acquired basic knowledge in theoretical, technical and scientific subjects as well as a study methodology suitable for continuing studies with a Master's degree programme.

Assessment
The students should conceive, critique and develop their projects as an answer to a specific assignment set by a lecturer. The projects should be presented as a proposal or as a finalized artwork. The final exam will be an interview with the students. We will discuss the works created during the semester and their progress, the overall participation and final show participation. Exercises throughout the semester help prepare students for the projects and should be completed to receive full credit. Students who enrol with gaps in their basic education (identified during the selection procedure) are assigned Additional Educational Requirements (Obblighi Formativi Aggiuntivi). The OFA will be met by passing an oral exam, which consists of presenting 3 podcasts/videos, chosen from a list sent by the faculty secretariat to all students who have been assigned OFAs, together with the exam content and date.

Evaluation criteria
The final assessment is based on the content of all the exercises according to the following criteria: - The student’s outputs should be accompanied with visualizations, drafts and descriptions; delivered in time and fulfil criteria of clarity, relevance, and structured in a consistent and cohesive documentation. - The student’s continued effort, and the quality of projects throughout the semester. - Energetic and insightful participation in class activities and discussions through comments, questions and active listening. - A conversation between concept, form, and technique, i.e. the aesthetic decisions. - The project’s concept and execution demonstrates an innovative approach to the assignment. - The timely presentation of one’s own work.

Required readings

Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. London: Penguin Books, 1972.

 

Butler, Judith. “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in

Phenomenology and Feminist Theory.” Theatre Journal 40, no. 4 (December 1988): 519–531.

 

Crimp, Douglas. “Pictures.” October 8 (Spring 1979): 75–88.

 

Filipovic, Elena. “What Is an Exhibition?” In Ten Fundamental Questions of Curating, edited by Jens Hoffmann, 73–81. Milan: Mousse Publishing, 2013.

 

Greenberg, Clement. “Avant-Garde and Kitsch.” Partisan Review 6, no. 5 (Fall 1939): 34–49.

 

hooks, bell. “The Oppositional Gaze: Black Female Spectators.” In Black Looks: Race and Representation, 115–131. Boston: South End Press, 1992.

 

Krauss, Rosalind E. “Sculpture in the Expanded Field.” October 8 (Spring 1979): 30–44.

 

Lonzi, Carla. Autoritratto. Bari: De Donato, 1969.

 

Mitchell, W. J. T. “What Do Pictures ‘Really’ Want?” October 77 (Summer 1996): 71–82.

 

Morris, Robert. “Notes on Sculpture.” Artforum 4, no. 6 (February 1966): 42–44.

 

Sontag, Susan. On Photography. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1977.

Modena, Elisabetta. Display. Luoghi, dispositivi, gesti. Einaudi, 2024.

 

Supplementary readings

Will be published on teams

Further information
Will be published on teams