I’m thrilled to invite you to an artist’s talk that I’m doing for my local alternative art school! hARTslane Alternative (HA!) was founded by artists Rachel Lonsdale and Sarah-Athina Nahasis, who have put together a stellar programme. The school is informed by an interest in artists’ working lives, and a concern for those who are ‘outside’. The syllabus is based on a skill-sharing model, alongside crits, artists’ talks, off-site visits and exhibitions. I’m looking forward to meet the cohort for a discussion on alternative art education and their ongoing development beyond the end of the course. Join us to survey the movement, take a look at the practices of alternative art schools, and rethink the concept of the alternative, independent, free or DIY art school. What is the value of alternative art education? What are the benefits of independent art schools and how can we build on them? What are the drawbacks of indy art schools, and how can we attend to these? We will then workshop either a proposal for a new school, or a guide on how to start a DIY art school, peer support group or collective.
🫀DIY Art School 19 June 2024, 6-9pm, Tickets £6 hARTslane Alternative, 17 Hart’s Lane, New Cross, London SE14 5UP
HA! was launched in April 2024 at hARTslane, a community-run gallery in New Cross. The open call for 2025 will be published towards the end of this year.
In the autumn I’m looking forward to teach at the inaugural Alice Black Academy Academy. I will be delivering three lecture-seminars on critique, the institution of art, and Spectacle and the everyday. Alice Black is a young gallery, established in 2017 to represent artists whose work is materially driven and handmade. I’m so excited for the opportunity to bring these lectures to a new audience.
The upcoming dates for Art + Critique are online! The course runs 15 Oct 2024 – 4 Mar 2025, 6:30-8:30pm with a new Pay What You Can scheme. I’m hoping this will help maintain the accessibility of the course and make it more sustainable. This may be the last time I offer the course in this format. It has been in development for 15 years, expanding and growing exponentially into a comprehensive programme on art practice and theory. On the one hand, I would like to expand this even further into a year-long independent study programme for a group of artists who would benefit from an extended period of critical engagement with their practice in a community context. On the other, I would like to make the lecture-seminar series of the course available to a wider audience, and launch a bundle of other courses and regular activities for artists, curators, writers and art audiences, that have been in the pipeline. I’m hoping to trial 1-2 of these in Spring 2025 and will post further updates closer the time.
I wrote about co-operative art education for Towards New Schools, an essay series on recent shifts in art and design education by the Gerrit Rietveld Academie. Working with the Editorial Board was an excellent experience, I’m especially indebted to Harriet Foyster for her work and care in the editing process. *The title of this update is from a comment by the wonderful Emily McMehen in response to the essay. It set my mind at ease, because I’m often asked why I chose this essay title:
In other co-operative news, I attended the Co‑op Hackathon in Oct 2023, and I’ve been meaning to write about this, but here we are. The event was a thoroughly positive experience. It was organised by Terry Tyldesley, who is a musician and producer, and her creative background was reflected in every aspect of the event. I was also very excited to meet Rose Marley, the new CEO of Co-ops UK, who is already bringing positive change. All the projects inspired the hopeful sense of a common future, as did the amazing people behind them. I will post a more lengthy review at a later stage. Suffice to say that I’m still working through all the fabulous tips and ideas that I came away with for the co-operative federation of art schools. I also re-connected with the amazing Larisa Blazic, and I will post more about what we are hatching in future updates. In the meantime, here’s a video about the Hackathon:
💻 Stories from the Co‑op Hackathon 2023
19-20 Oct 2023, The Foundry, 17 Oval Way, London SE11 5RR
There have been a number of exciting developments and milestones for the co-operative federation project within the last year and I’m really looking forward to complete the many offshoots of the project. But, due to lack of funding, the work is on hold or chugging along in the background until I have time to put in a DYCP application.
📓 In solidarity economy news, the Lonely Writers’ Club was a therapeutic 3-week lull before the start of the academic year last autumn. Led by Yancey Stickler and Austin Robey, this project was an offshoot of Metalabel, a unique publishing platform for creative groups and collectives launched in 2022. Developments like this indicate as sea-change in the mindset of many people who work in the creative/digital industry. Partly due to Covid, and partly due to all the layoffs in the digital industries, many of these workers are rejecting the culture of competition and burn out, and embracing collectivity and collaboration in solidarity economies. While I have reservations with this conservative approach to solidarity, mutual aid and the commons, these developments can only be a good thing. Some recommended reading and viewing: After The Creator Economy by Austin Robey and Severin Matusek (2023), introduced by Matusek in What’s after the creator economy? Interdependence.fm’s podcast Post-Individualism, Metalabels and Web 3 with Yancey Strickler (2022), Post-Individual (2024) and Adam Curtis on the dangers of self-expression (2017) by Yancey Strickler. Each link in this paragraph will lead you to a host of additional resources.
🖌️ Finally, if you engage in one act of self-care for your practice and mental health in 2025, I highly recommend Artquest’s 30works/30days. The highlight of my day in April was seeing all the amazing work that others had made. On the first day I got the work in by the skin of my teeth, then I worked at different times of day, leaving enough time to come back to it or make something else. The work was both a record of the day, as well as the theme that made every day special. Each day brought a different kind of challenge, it created some anxiety and longer work hours, but all the more rewarding because you completed something – or at least made a good go at it.
This daily manual engagement was empowering and invigorating in itself, but also because it was an investment in something for its own sake. I made the rules and the process involved discovery, inspiration, attention, invention, speculation, experimentation and so on. This mindset also revealed my teaching practice to me as a form of sculpture. Preparing a course or workshop is a highly conceptual and speculative process, and you cannot prefigure what will happen in the pedagogical environment. Rather than working with concepts and variables when updating my courses, I have started to visualise them as sculptures, intuitively hacking parts off, taking them apart and putting them back together in radical new configurations. Let’s see if it works.
The days are getting shorter, the evenings are cooler, and we’ll be spending more time indoors. I usually dread this time of year, but I’m looking forward to getting a lot of work done. At least that’s the plan. Invariably, something always blows my plans out of the water; overcommitting, unexpected workloads or crises, and burn out. But I’m learning to pace myself and take time off. Working longer hours doesn’t necessarily mean getting more done, in fact if you’re tired or stuck it’s better to take a break or even a nap.
I recently found some time to return to the co-operative art school project for the first time since lockdown and it’s very exciting! Those who’ve been waiting to hear the outcome of the survey will be happy to know that it should be ready in the next couple of months. I have no social science training so I have no idea what I’m doing. I make it up as I go along, taking several different approaches, especially as the sample is quite small and the perspectives so diverse.
Plans and developments in the pipeline; I’m putting together a funding application for the next stage of the co-operative art school project, working on some writing and interviews and planning to publish an open call for the 2nd issue of URgh! on co-operatives in the arts. More on these and other developments in the next newsletter.
For the time-being I wanted to let you know that there are still a couple of slots for free Artquest One to One advice sessions in Oct/Nov. So head on over there if you’d like to discuss your practice and plans for the future. Be the first to find out about new Artquest One to One dates as soon as they’re posted by signing up to the Artquest newsletter, it also comes with a great selection of opportunities.
The Autumn 2023 Art+Critique online course starts in about a month and there are four places left. The course is popular beyond the M25 and it is more affordable as an online course with hybrid off-site visits, so the format is the same. We have just completed one year of a pilot peer support group for those who want to stay in touch after completing the course. I’m still working on a couple of new shorter courses so stay tuned for updates.
Wishing you a prolific and satisfying autumn 🏮
📌 Artquest One to One Free one-to-one remote advice sessions for London-based artists Book a free Artquest one-to-one advice session to get feedback about your work, build a strategy for an upcoming project, get practical career advice, discuss the logistics of operating as an artist and find out about other arts organisations and how they can support you.
🍒 Art + Critique Critical & Contextual Studies in Art Practice Online, Autumn 2023 17 Oct 2023 – 5 Mar 2024, Tuesdays 18:30-20:30 BST/GMT+1
£ 435/£ 348 Concessions (student, unwaged, disability)
This course integrates practice and theory to address our concepts of art, how they are transformed and the problems of making art in the broader context of social conflict. The syllabus offers a solid background in essential histories and discourses of contemporary art to help artists address questions about their practice and its context: about what art is, how it is judged and how it relates to society. The curriculum emphasises critical inquiry in art practice and research and supports participants as they develop their practice and research in a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, group tutorials, off-site visits and assignments. The curriculum fosters experimentation and collaborative study in a community of peers.
Friday, 10 March 2017, 18:00 – 20:30 88 Fleet Street, London EC4Y 1DH Rail/tube: City Thameslink, Blackfriars, St. Paul’s
Chaired by Katie Tysoe and Sophia Kosmaoglou Free, fully booked
In March we’re reading Rhizome, the introduction to A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia (1980) by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Rhizome was first published in 1976 by Éditions de Minuit. Continue reading Deleuze & Guattari: Rhizome→
[SYMPOSIUM] #22 Debord: Negation and Consumption in the Cultural Sphere. Flyer by Aristotelis Nikolaidis.
In December we’re joining Aristotelis Nikolaidis to discuss Negation and Consumption in the Cultural Sphere, the eighth chapter of Guy Debord’s 1967 book The Society of the Spectacle.
Guy Debord’s The Society of the Spectacle is a landmark text of the Situationist International, and its most influential one together with Raoul Vaneigem’s The Revolution of Everyday Life. Originally published in 1967, it has been related to the radical heritage of the May 1968 uprising in France and has been in print as well as enjoyed new translations and editions to this day. Debord revisited it in his Comments on the Society of the Spectacle in 1988.
The Situationist International offered a radical critique of advanced capitalist societies, manifesting the fusion of art and politics and the prominence of everyday life as a field of analysis and intervention. It combined elements from Marxism and anarchism, and while being separate from both it developed in a libertarian direction and in opposition to the orthodox Marxist-Leninist canon of the time. The Situationists have been criticised, among other things for vanguard cultural elitism, as well as praised, among other things for contributing to the renewal of radical social theory and practice.
In The Society of the Spectacle Debord both draws and reflects upon Marx’s original analysis of the capitalist mode of production, including key concepts such as commodity fetishism and alienation. The result of such an intellectual endeavour is the production of an original perspective: the concept of the spectacle, a social relationship between people which is mediated by images, suggests a society where genuine activity is replaced by representation and social life is colonised by commodities. In this respect, the emerging critique promptly focuses on the key role of media culture and consumerism in late capitalism; but, unlike most of the contemporary postmodernist paradigm, it maintains a radical edge rooted in class consciousness and struggle.
Chapter 8, titled Negation and Consumption in the Cultural Sphere, emerges as a potentially useful reading with regard to art practice and theory on the basis of two reasons. On the one hand, it is the part of the book where Debord is principally concerned with art’s position in the field of culture; the provided discussion addresses the autonomy of culture and its connection to history in a class-based society, as well as art’s relation to language and communication and its function as a form of dialogue and a practice.
On the other hand, the text constitutes a sophisticated polemic against conventional social theory as well as a fierce defence of the unity between theory and practice; and its argument culminates in the discussion of détournement, a concept signifying the language of anti-ideology and subversive action. Perhaps it is in this respect that Debord echoes Marx most clearly, and his infamous eleventh thesis on Feuerbach more particularly: the point is not just to interpret the world, but to change it.
Aristotelis Nikolaidisstudied sociology, completed a PhD in media and communications at Goldsmiths and has been involved in free and self-organised language programmes for migrants and refugees. He is teaching and researching in the field of social theory and media studies from a critical perspective, which is to say that he is at odds with marketization, careerism and precarious labour conditions in the university.
Questions
Why does Debord argue that ‘art’s declaration of independence is the beginning of the end of art’? (Thesis 186, p. 133)
How does Debord define avant-garde art? And how may the contrasting examples of Dada and Surrealism inform our understanding of the transcendent potential of art or lack thereof?
Why is conventional sociological theory criticised for offering ‘a spectacular critique of the spectacle’? (Thesis 196, p. 138)
Why does Debord argue that critical theory is inconceivable independently of a rigorous practice? (Thesis 203, p. 143)
In what ways may the concept of the détournement empower a radical critique and practice? How may it be related to contemporary practices such as culture jamming, for example in the case of the Adbusters, or to the work of conceptual artists such as Barbara Kruger?
As we await the arrival of summer the pandemic appears to be at bay, but only by giving way to new fronts of crisis, disinformation, struggle and resistance. Artists have been particularly impacted in the last two years and still reeling as we emerge into the new dystopian normal, so you’re not alone. Book a free advice session with Artquest One to One to discuss your practice and plans for the future – new dates in late May and early June will be posted soon.
The Summer 2022 Art+Critique online course starts on Saturday, 23 April and continues for 16 weeks until 6 August 2022. The course is popular beyond the London bubble and Covid is still creating some uncertainty, so there are no immediate plans for face-to-face courses. We have just wrapped up the Autumn/Winter 2021-22 course and it’s always sad when the regular meetings with a fantastic group of beaming faces come to an end. But we’re hatching a plan for follow-up sessions for alumni of the course. If that is you please stay tuned and I will be in touch with more info.
The Festival of Alternative Art Education is still postponed indefinitely for the time-being but I’m looking forward to restart the Co-operative art school? action-research project with an new strategy. If you have completed the co-operative art school survey please stay tuned for news and updates. If not then head over there and fill it in because I might finally have the chance to compile the report during the break. Hope you get some sun whether you’re taking time off or raging on 🐞
Free one-to-one remote advice sessions for London-based artists
Book a free Artquest one-to-one advice session to get feedback about your work, build a strategy for an upcoming project, get practical career advice, discuss the logistics of operating as an artist and find out about other arts organisations and how they can support you. New dates in late May and early June coming soon.
Critical & Contextual Studies in Art Practice Online, Summer 2022
This course integrates practice and theory to address our concepts of art, how they are being transformed and the problems of making and exhibiting art in the broader context of social conflict. The curriculum surveys essential histories and discourses of contemporary art, demystifies the art world and provides multiple entry points into critical theory. The lectures address the questions of what art is, how it is judged, how it relates to society and what is at stake for artists today. The programme fosters collaborative study and provides practical tools in workshops and group feedback sessions. 23 Apr – 6 Aug 2022, Saturdays 10:00-12:30 BST (GMT+1), for 16 weeks Course fee £360 / Concessions £288
For more information and to register please visit the course page. For detailed information on the schedule, lectures and reading please download the course outline. If the course fees are a barrier to your participation please get in touch so that we can find a way to make it more accessible for you.
It’s been a long hard slog but things are starting to look up with the easing of restrictions and a potential end in sight for Covid. In the meantime, if you’re feeling stuck or want to hatch some plans sign up for a free advice session with Artquest Outpost Online.
The next Art + Critique online course begins on Thu, 14 Oct 2021 and continues over two terms until 10 Mar 2022. I will continue to offer this course online to accommodate those who wish to participate from outside London and the UK. If you’re interested in a face-to-face course in London please stay tuned for updates when this becomes a viable option.
The Festival of Alternative Art Education is still postponed indefinitely due to restrictions on large indoor events, please stay tuned for updates and new dates when the events can go ahead.
I’m very excited to be working with Artquest to provide one-to-one advice sessions to answer your questions and provide feedback on your work. This is an opportunity to get practical career advice, discuss the logistics of operating as an artist, and find out more about other services and organisations that can help you navigate the art world in these unprecedented times. When booking you can select which advisor you would like to meet based on their areas of expertise. Each session lasts 45 minutes and is conducted on either Skype or Zoom. The sessions are very popular so you are asked to book one session per year. The regular advisors are not all available every month, so if the slots are booked up or if your chosen advisor isn’t available please try again the following month.
This course integrates practice and theory to address our concepts of art, how they are being transformed and the problems of making art in the broader context of social conflict. The syllabus will help you develop your practice and research in a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and off-site visits. The lectures series surveys the histories and discourses of contemporary art, demystifies the art world and provides multiple entry points into critical theory. The programme fosters experimentation and collaborative study in a community of peers, and provides practical tools to empower you to pursue your practice with confidence.
Course aims, outcomes & learning objectives
By the end of the course participants will have a sound grasp of the historical underpinnings and current debates in contemporary art. They will be able to critically discuss and evaluate contemporary art. Participants will leave the course with critical awareness of contemporary art practice, a road map and a toolbox of methodologies for their continuing practice and the confidence to pursue it independently.
Who is it for?
The course is open to everyone at any stage of their career or level of experience but it is particularly suited to those who have a background and experience in art and wish to develop their practice and extend their knowledge of contemporary art practices and discourses.
Art + Critique: Critical and Contextual Studies in Art Practice Online Course
Thu, 14 Oct 2021 – Thu, 10 Mar 2022 with a five-week Winter Break
Every Thursday 6:30pm-8:30pm GMT+1 (BST)
Course fee: £340 / Concessions £272. If the course fees are a barrier to your participation please get in touch so that we can find a way to make it more accessible for you.
For more information about the course schedule, lectures and reading please visit the page and/or download the Course Outline
Very excited to launch a new course! It combines almost a year’s worth of critical studies lectures and seminars, group tutorials and workshops into one term so it’s going to be pretty intense. Designed during the transition from lockdown to whatever it is we have now, it tries to make up for some of the community, context, interaction, challenge, motivation, freedom and future horizons that we lost in the last six months.
A comprehensive bibliography for the Art + Critique Critical & Contextual Studies lecture and seminar series. You can use it as a further reading list or to locate references that are not in the handouts, reader or further reading and resources. Please click the headings for a drop-down list.
CRITICAL & CONTEXTUAL STUDIES IN ART PRACTICE: ONLINE COURSE
This course integrates practice and theory in a comprehensive programme that emphasises critical inquiry in art practice. Through a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, group tutorials and off-site visits, the syllabus supports participants as they explore and develop their practice and research. The curriculum fosters experimentation and collaborative study in a community of peers. It provides a supportive environment where participants will extend and develop their ability to discuss, write about and judge contemporary art, as well as their ability to reflect on and contextualise their own practice.
Thanks to everyone who came along and contributed to the Alternative Art Education (Slow) Marathon! We launched URgh!#1, amplified the movement, opened up the discussion on some of the more esoteric aspects of self-organised art education, demonstrated the possibilities of online education and had a lot of fun!
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED INDEFINITELY DUE TO COVID
Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Free admission with a ticket
This exhibition is part of the Festival of Alternative Art Education 2020
THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED INDEFINITELY DUE TO COVID Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL
Free admission with a ticket
This event includes the exhibition The Secret is Out:
Self-organisation for a co-operative art school: report
Many thanks to the participants who joined the workshop for their contributions and their patience! I can only hope that it was as useful for them as it for me. I was very excited to meet them and hear about their backgrounds, practices and reasons for joining the workshop. Many are members of collectives or cooperatives and it was especially good to have people drop in from Manchester, Newcastle, Bristol and Madrid! Continue reading Self-organisation for a co-operative art school: report→
![[SYMPOSIUM] #22 Debord: Negation and Consumption in the Cultural Sphere. Flyer by Aristotelis Nikolaidis.](https://artandcritique.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/SYMPOSIUM-22-Debord-Negation-and-Consumption.-Flyer-by-Aristotelis-Nikolaidis.jpg)
![Nalini Malani [2020] Can You Hear Me. Whitechapel Gallery, London. Screenshot of hybrid visit to the exhibition](https://videomole.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Nalini-Malani-2020-Can-You-Hear-Me-Whitechapel-Gallery-London.-Screenshot-from-a-hybrid-visit-to-the-exhibition_5156-350x231.jpg)
Art + Critique
