Report on the 21 April, 2015 session ~ "Writing Research" ~ with Johan Hartle, Assistant Professor for Philosophy of Art and Culture at UvA and adjunct professor for Philosophy and Art Theory at China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.

During the private afternoon session, Florian and David shared written excerpts of their research to be examined and discussed with Johan Hartle. The intention was to evaluate the different positions that writing can occupy in Art PhD research, from being the site of academic writing (thesis/essay) to be the repository of more experimental forms of textuality within a practice-led research.

Afterwards, Johan Hartle’s lecture, Marx as art as politics. Marx in contemporary Fine Arts, started the evening session. Reference to Marx in contemporary art is frequent. Artists and curators have staged public readings of texts of Marx, puppet plays and library installations introduce the work of Marx to a wider audience and the portrait of Marx keeps appearing in contemporary artistic imagery. The aim of this talk is to understand the hidden logic of such reference to Marx. It claims that the Marx of the Fine Arts does not signify a naively political understanding of art but rather metonymically allows for reflecting on fundamental questions of contemporary artistic practices and their respective institutions. The Marx of the Fine Arts thus helps us to think about problems of aesthetic justice and the creation of audiences.

Florian and David joined Johan after his lecture to further discuss these issues, a conversation that quickly opened up to the rest of the audience’s active participation.

About the guest:

Johan Hartle: Assistant Professor for Philosophy of Art and Culture at University of Amsterdam (UvA) and adjunct professor for Philosophy and Art Theory at China Academy of Art (CAA) in Hangzhou, China.