Gökcan Demirkazik

Queer/ness has become a buzzword. As its “currency” rises in the global art world, the term has expanded to accommodate a dizzyingly diverse array of approaches and practices. Conceived as a working group, this course will examine art and texts, which—beyond their origin in or engagement with non-heteronormative genders and sexualities—specifically address queerness in a critical and systematic matter. Therefore, at the heart of the course are the questions: what is a queer method? Can one identify different queer methods at work, and if so, how do they materialize in works of art and cultural practices? What are their limits and/or limitations? In order to start answering these questions, we will draw on theoretical and/or experimental texts by Sara Ahmed, Judith Butler, Amelia Jones, José Esteban Muñoz, Paul B. Preciado, Susan Sontag, and McKenzie Wark (among others), as well as essays on the work of Florence Henri, Hannah Höch, Zeki Müren, Ulrike Ottinger, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Akram Zaatari. The course will include a number of screenings, exhibition visits, conversations with practitioners, and individual critiques as our schedule permits. The course is intended for students of all backgrounds and open to all. Students who would like to enroll in the course should be ready to make a short presentation on their work and interests (in their studio or with slides) during the first module of the course on May 15–16. We will also determine the schedule for the class sessions indicated below during this introductory module. Additional sessions may be proposed for site visits and artist talks. --- Queer/ness has become a buzzword. As its “currency” rises in the global art world, the term has expanded to accommodate a dizzyingly diverse array of approaches and practices. Conceived as a working group, this course will examine art and texts, which—beyond their origin in or engagement with non-heteronormative genders and sexualities—specifically address queerness in a critical and systematic matter. Therefore, at the heart of the course are the questions: what is a queer method? Can one identify different queer methods at work, and if so, how do they materialize in works of art and cultural practices? What are their limits and/or limitations? In order to start answering these questions, we will draw on theoretical and/or experimental texts by Sara Ahmed, Judith Butler, Amelia Jones, José Esteban Muñoz, Paul B. Preciado, Susan Sontag, and McKenzie Wark (among others), as well as essays on the work of Florence Henri, Hannah Höch, Zeki Müren, Ulrike Ottinger, Paul Mpagi Sepuya, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Akram Zaatari. The course will include a number of screenings, exhibition visits, conversations with practitioners, and individual critiques as our schedule permits. The course is intended for students of all backgrounds and open to all. Students who would like to enroll in the course should be ready to make a short presentation on their work and interests (in their studio or with slides) during the first module of the course on May 15–16. We will also determine the schedule for the class sessions indicated below during this introductory module. Additional sessions may be proposed for site visits and artist talks.