ARTH 200(F) Modern and Contemporary African Art (Same as Africana Studies 201)*
This course maps out the range of work by artists from African countries from the colonial period to the era of post-independence. It follows developments in modern art from Egypt to Senegal, from Nigeria to South Africa, from Ethiopia to Morocco, outlining how artists used art as a means of expressing their political ideas, or asserting nationalistic ideologies especially during the era of decolonization. Beyond the era of independence, the course examines the various ways African artists responded to political and economic crises that engulfed many African countries in the 1970s and 1980s. At this time also, the work of African artists became increasingly visible in the art world courtesy of mega-shows in Europe and the United States. The course looks at how this happened. The final part of the course deals with the work of African artists, some of who have become well known, even, controversial art world stars; it also considers the difficult terrain of culture and identity in the era of Globalization. The course seeks to familiarize students with modern and contemporary art from Africa by studying forms, ideas, and subject matter that have preoccupied African artists over the past half-century. It is also interested in the exhibitionary and critical practices that have helped set these artists on the global stage, as well as theoretical structures that might help our understanding of these phenomena. These inquiries will be set against the background of political, economic, social and intellectual formations that have directly or indirectly determined form, concept, and ideology in the work of post-WWII African artists.
Format: lecture. Requirements: two short papers, a final exam, midterm exam.
No prerequisites. Enrollment limit: 20 (expected: 17). Preference given to art majors and African Studies concentrators.
Hour: OKEKE-AGULU