Who is the femme fatale and why was ‘she’ so popular in late 19th century Europe? This talk attempts to answer this question by exploring the image and idea of the femme fatale in the art and popular culture fin de siècle Europe.
Project Category: Art History Events
Behind the Facade: a False Narrative of Art Authenticity
This talk focuses on two particular case studies that represent a fake on the one hand and a forgery on the other, that were both sold in London a few years ago and are now in two of the leading art collections in the world and remain on display.
Dorothea Lange: Documenting Justice
Dorothea Lange is one of the most well-known photographers of the Great Depression. Her photographs documented the catastrophe of economic collapse while also emphasising empathy and community. This talk will explore her Depression era photographs, giving them historical context and developing their political content.
Forming a Cultural Identity: Through the Eyes of Contemporary Artists
During this session, we will focus predominantly on a selection of contemporary artists from ethnic minorities who explore notions of 'identity' in their paintings. Sometimes exploring a clash of cultures and other times drawing on cultural heritage and traditions passed down generations, these artists look at the struggles and benefits of moving countries and exploring new horizons.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: painting history
We will look at Basquiat’s art and how it records and interprets Black history in the US in all of its complexities from jazz to film, colonization to police brutality.
The cult of the Virgin: motherhood and the humanity of a Christian God
This talk explores the shifting image of the Virgin Mary, how She became the focus of art and prayer and how the humanity of motherhood set the standard, for better or worse, for women throughout Europe.
Matter Matters? Contemporary Art on Materialism
This session we will take a look at a broad range of Contemporary artists who, in their own ways, question the world they live in and draw attention to some of the key issues in our society right now. We will see examples of paintings, street art and monumental land sculptures by some of the key figures of Contemporary Art.
Object Lessons in Xenosolidarity
Dedicated to environmental thinking and attending to the structures of inequality that mediate the relations between human and non-human actants, this talk will explore how (art) objects can foster an encounter with alien perspectives, challenging us to fabricate new and better modes of coexisting.
Skywatching: Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels
Simple in appearance, yet complex in execution, Sun Tunnels is a philosophical reflection on time and the cycle of nature. This talk will explore the different facets of this artwork to help us to rethink our modern conceptions ‘progress’ and ‘time’.
Power and Legacy of the Outcast
We will be exploring the legacy of Mexican artist and writer, Nahui Olin and African American writer, Zora Neale Hurston to understand how these revolutionary women were highly celebrated in the 1920's and yet ended up being ostracised and forgotten.