Contemporary Art and Curatorship

About

The Summer School in Contemporary Art & Curatorship is a full-time programme that lasts two weeks.

The Summer School intends to explore the contemporary art system(s) in exhibition format, which acted as a model for the “Biennialization” of the present-day art world. Held in collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia’s “Biennale Sessions” programme, the Venice module will cover the history of the Biennale and curatorship, and will be implemented with targeted training activities on exhibition and curatorial practices from five focus areas: Sub-Saharan Africa; East Asia; Latin America; Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia; Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. Focus areas will be treated as equally specific, yet intrinsically intertwined within the contemporary art system, as testified by the growing international participations at the art events promoted by the Venice Biennale.

For each focus area, a dedicated instructor with expertise in both academic lecturing and curatorial practice will hold in-class seminars and talks with artists and curators from the related areas.

Course leader

Matteo Bertelé, Professor of Contemporary Art, History of Russian Art and Curatorship at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and Silvia Burini, Professor of History of Contemporary Art, History of Russian Art and Curatorship at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Target group

Students who hold an undergraduate degree. Students are also required to have studied or be currently studying the following subjects at a University level: Art History; Fine Arts, Design and Architecture; Cultural and Media Studies; Exhibition and Curatorial Studies; Media Studies; Global Studies; Arts and Cultural Management.

Course aim

Held in collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia’s “Biennale Sessions” programme, the Summer School will provide students with an up-to-date insight into the history and the present activities of the Venice Biennale in the framework of exhibition and curatorial studies.

The programme is implemented with targeted training activities on exhibitionary and curatorial practices from five focus areas:

Sub-Saharan Africa
East Asia
Latin America
Russia, Caucasus and Central Asia
Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA region)

For each focus area, a dedicated instructor with expertise in both academic lecturing and curatorial practice will hold in-class seminars and talks with artists and curators from the related areas. The programme will combine individual study and teamwork activities and will alternate lectures and site-visits with a full-time schedule. Assignments will be given upon oral presentations.

Fee info