Artesis Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerpen
Koninklijke Academie van Antwerpen
Paper Events: Artists' Publications as Alternative Spaces II 39649/3353/2425/1/61
Study guide

Paper Events: Artists' Publications as Alternative Spaces II 

39649/3353/2425/1/61
Academic year 2024-25
Is found in:
  • Master of Arts in Visual Arts, programme stage 1
    Choice package:
    • opleidingsonderdelen te kiezen aan 12 studiepunten (voltijds)
    • opleidingsonderdelen te kiezen aan hoogstens 12 studiepunten (deeltijds)
  • Master of Arts in Visual Arts
    Choice package:
    • Elective courses for 12 credits (full time)
    • Elective courses for max 12 credits (parttime)
This is a single course unit.
Study load: 3 credits
Special admission is required to enrol in this course unit under
  • exam contract (to obtain a credit).
  • exam contract (to obtain a degree).
Co-ordinator: Pas Johan (eng)
Languages: English
Scheduled for: Semester 2
This course unit is marked out of 20 (rounded to an integer).
Possible deadlines for learning account: 15.03.2025 ()
Re-sit exam: is possible.
Possibility of deliberation: This course unit is eligible for deliberation according to the criteria as determined by the degree programme you are enrolled in.
Total study time: 90,00 hours

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Short description

In ‘Paper Events’, you are introduced to a variety of historical and current aspects of artists’ publications, including artists’ books, artists’ magazines and artists’ pages. To become familiar with this ‘hidden art history’, we will be addressing several publications from the 20th century and today, examining the way the artist conceptualized and realized the printed matter in question. The creative and critical way in which visual artists have considered the medium of books, pages and magazines could potentially offer insight and inspiration for the current practice of visual art and design. Paper Events II focuses on books and magazines of the neo-avant-garde and contemporary period (1960s - today). All the publications under discussion are from CRAP (Collection for Research on Artists’ Publications), assembled by the teacher.

Learning outcomes (list)

MA1 - The student has an artistic and autonomous attitude and continues to develop his/herown art practice.
has insight into the historical and current visual/audiovisual art, is able to follow and interpret the evolutions within the artistic field, and position himself within an artistic and intellectual framework.
The student is aware of historical and contemporary social and cultural developments, and the importance thereof for his own artistic discipline, and can situate himself within this context.
The student is able to analyse a self chosen example
MA3 - The student understands the essence of his/her personal artistic development and communicates in a clear and thoughtful way to colleagues and an external audience.
De student kan doelgericht communiceren en informatie helder doorgeven, zowel op schriftelijke als mondelinge wijze.
MA4 - The student sets up and conducts independent research in function of the development of his/her artistic praxis.
The student cen write a coherent tekst.
The student can construct a correct, logical, coherent argumentation.
The student can develop a research question/issue.
The student can formulate a relevant conclusion.
The student can structure a a text (organisation, logic, cohesion).
The student can carry out critical research within the history of avant-garde arts in the twentieth century.
MA5 - The student develops his/her personal artistic visual language based on personal and social involvement.
The student is aware of historical and contemporary social and cultural developments, and the importance thereof for his own artistic discipline, and can situate himself within this context.
MA6 - The student is able to take and defend a critical position with regard to relevant social, cultural, artistic and international developments.
"The student has insight into the different ways in which visual artists used the book and the magazine as artistic medium in the 20th and 21st centuries. "

Course content

Publications by artists seem to be everywhere today, but they do not exist that long. The course aims at offering tools for analysis and frames of reference concerning books and magazines created and/or published by visual artists.

After World War II, the neo-avant-gardes in Europe and the US rediscovered the printed media as a tool for promoting new art forms and ideas. Artists of the Concrete art and Cobra movement, the ZERO-network, Concrete Poetry, Fluxus, Happening, Pop Art, Minimalism, Performance and Conceptual art all explored print to create new works in the forms of artists' pages and artists' books, and as documentation of ephemeral events or conceptual projects. Artists published themselves, but galleries and other specialized publishers emerged in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the first exhibitions and specialized bookstores for artists' publications emerged in both Europe and the U.S.A., like Other Books and So (Amsterdam) and Printed Matter (New York).

From the late 1970s on Postmodernism witnessed a decline in conceptual artists' publications, but the self-made zines of the Punk movement provided alternative tactics and strategies for self-publishing. Since the 1990s the artist’s book and the artist’s magazine enjoy a remarkable revival. In the age of speedy digital communication, a lot of young artists appreciate the material aspects of print and turn towards self-publishing zines and booklets to distribute their work. DIY (Do It Yourself) has become the new motto in art publishing. Besides this, the pioneering publications of the avant-gardes and neo-avant-gardes are being rediscovered and revalued as a primary source of information and inspiration for contemporary creators and publishers.

Therefore, we will look at the evolution of the artists' book and artists' magazine and discuss relevant artists, publishers and publications of the second half of the 20th and early 21th century. All the publications discussed are from CRAP! (Collection for Research on Artists' Publications) see: https://nl-nl.facebook.com/CRAP-Collection-for-Research-on-Artists-Publications-1581445291906291/. We will also look at recent and new publications in class. You are invited to bring interesting items to discuss. Please feel free to bring your own creations as well!


Study material (text): Mandatory

The following texts will be provided digitally and are available in print:

PAS, Johan, Artists' Publications: The Belgian Contribution, Koenig Books, London, 2017
PAS, Johan, DOCKX, Nico, A Kind of a “Huh?”. Artists’ Publications, (not) a Manual, Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerpen, 2023

Educational organisation (list)

Learning Activities
Lectures and / or tutorials26,00 hours
Work time outside of contact hours64,00 hours

Evaluation (list)

Evaluation(s) for first exam chance
MomentForm%Remark
Eerste examenperiodeResearch Assignment100,00
Evaluation(s) for re-sit exam
MomentForm%Remark
2nd examination periodResearch Assignment100,00

Evaluation (text)

You will put up a compact research project about a late 20th century or a contemporary artists’ publication, presented in a paper and an oral examination (in English or in Dutch).