Reading Hannah Arendt: On Art – its political importance for judging between right and wrong
Hannah Arendt is primarily a political thinker, but her view of the role of art in human society is astonishing and radical. In short, it is that art trains us to go beyond ourselves, to learn selflessly and together with others, to see with the eyes of the other. She quotes Immanuel Kant in saying that humans and art are the only phenomena in the world that have no purpose, that is, that cannot be used. Since the start in 1995 our students have taken on theoretical texts by Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, and many others through close readings.
Since Malmö Art Academys founding in 1995, it has challenged traditional teaching methods by placing the studio and the open work process at the centre, characterised by feminist pedagogy and student self-determination through close reading. The teaching method, in which students read complex texts in groups with their peers and professors, has had a significant pedagogical effect, creating a direct connection between theory and practice within the group. Having a theoretical foundation as an artist is extremely important for artistic practice, as context, discourse, and practice are intertwined in the creative process. Hannah Arendt's thinking is highly relevant today and has great significance for how we understand the world. In addition to seminars, a publication will be produced with support from the Pia Ståhl Foundation.
The seminar is lead by Gertrud Sandqvist, Professor of Art Theory and the History of Idea, and is part of celebrating Malmö Art Academy 30 years.
Photo: Fred Stein Archive/Getty Images
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