Spanish Art in the Digital Age

The aim of this course is to understand the most recent artistic manifestations and examine the key artists and movements that shaped the contemporary artistic scene in Spain. There was a turning point between the last decades of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century due to the arrival of new technologies that affected all aspects of human life, as well as artistic creation. The course will focus on how these new technologies, media and topics have influenced the most recent artistic creation in Spain.

This course will provide a dynamic and multidisciplinary introduction to contemporary art in Spain, including relevant information on the political, historical and cultural context. You will carry out a study of the main topics and materials that contemporary artists use with the purpose of reaching a global understanding of the subject. The course is divided into thematic topics that explore the intersections between art and objects, politics, public space, identity, multiculturalism, gender, nature, memory (personal and collective), and alike. Special emphasis will be made on the media used by contemporary artists, which range from photography, video, digital resources, performance, painting, sculpture to other techniques close to fields like advertisement, marketing or social campaigns for instance. Finally, you will compare Spanish and American artists within each topic in order to gain a global view and the criteria necessary to better contextualize works of art.

This course is designed not only for students who are curious about contemporary art but also for those who are skeptical about it. Additionally, this course will give you the tools to look the varied landscape of art today and provide you with a tool kit of questions which are helpful to engage and connect deeply with the work of art. You will be encouraged to have your own personal opinion and feelings about the artworks and share it appropriately.

*This course was previous numbered ARH373BCN