AD HOC, The Second Contemporary

Instructor: Boris Ondreička Date & Time: October 19, 26, November 2, 9 14:00-16:30 ET

DESCRIPTION: The Seminar examines contemporary art’s evolving landscape through a comprehensive investigation of its histories and discourses. Aimed at students of curatorial studies, artists, and cultural practitioners, it presents contemporary art not merely as a creative domain but as the fastest-moving discipline capable of influencing all others. Drawing from Ondreička’s essay “AD HOC: The Second Contemporary,” the Seminar proposes a fresh understanding of art history through divergence, chaos, identity, and curatorial strategies. It challenges dominant narratives of art movements (isms), critiques the exploitation of socio-political subjects in activist practices, and suggests new frameworks for curatorial agency in a post-ideological world.

Rather than linear art history, students will engage with conceptual maps, critical case studies, and provocative theses on how art mirrors or subverts broader socio-political dynamics. The Seminar ultimately questions the boundaries of art and its institutions, offering alternative models of political and aesthetic engagement.

Session 1, The Isms and Beyond: Explores how collective art movements emerged and how individual acts undermined them from within, focusing on the fragmentation and fractalization of modern and contemporary art histories.

Session 2, Progress and Pathology: Analyzes neurosis, freedom, and inherent social tensions as drivers of historical progress, especially during the 19th century’s shift from collective to individual identity.

Session 3, Post-1989 Realities: Examines void, chaos, and adhocism in the wake of ideological collapse, with attention to how identity politics and cultural organization adapt in post-ismic conditions.

Session 4, Activism and Curatorial Ethics: Considers activism as a form of applied art, critiques its commodification of social suffering, and explores curating as a practice of care that navigates between political extremes while maintaining ethical complexity.

IMAGE: Dan Flavin, Untitled, 1977

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