Practices of Seeing and Unseeing
COURSE OUTLINE >> 2025
Theory is a way of thinking that shapes how we see — and just as importantly, what we do not see. It is informed by histories, structures of power, and the conditions of perception that frame our understanding of art and the world. In this course, theory is approached not as a fixed body of knowledge, but as a layered, relational, and critical practice — one that attends to both visibility and its blind spots.
Rather than presenting a singular narrative, the course unfolds as an open and collaborative learning environment. It introduces key concepts in contemporary art theory and invites students to experiment with diverse modes of theoretical praxis. Through critical engagement and creative exploration, students will trace how theory both illuminates and unsettles, constructs and deconstructs.
Major movements in visual art from the early 20th century to the present are examined not through linear progression, but through folds, ruptures, and relational leaps — attending to how art and theory are shaped by what is seen, what is hidden, and what resists being known.