'On the Contrary: Rethinking Engaged Art in an Age of Social Unrest' is a collection of essays that re-evaluate key artistic concepts that influence the way in which engaged practices are conducted. Historically produced ideas about, for example, spectatorship, autonomy, what an artwork is, and the political role of the artist determine to a large degree how contemporary practices constitute themselves. Might these concepts be faulty when acted out in practices that occupy fundamentally diffe...

The fourth instalment of the ‘Teaching Objects’ series revolves around “Creation”. In this art novella the reader is guided by Lisa, a young artist who is facing death. A dialogue with four works by the American painter Cy Twombly emerges from the question of life’s duration, and Lisa discovers the secret of creative speech. The protagonist’s thoughts bring her to Gaeta, a seaside town near Velia, the ancient Greek town in Italy, now named Elea – the place where the school of Pa...

By investigating the interplay of technology and education within the arts, this publication reveals the often unnoticed structures of domination that influence our interactions with digital and learning environments. It challenges the perceived neutrality of technology and proposes a radical rethinking of our relationships with the tools we use to create and learn. It is also a call to action, encouraging artists, educators, and technologists to forge paths towards a more inclusive and equit...

Most of Marc Boumeester's thinking falls under affect theory, a philosophy of a new generation, which in its turn is fueled by Deleuzian scholarship. Boumeester formulates new and contemporary concepts that can be put into action in art and design education through an operational style called "intensive thinking". In the book, many interesting examples of educational programmes and works of art are accompanied by images relating to how this theoretical approach can be applied in art and desig...

Theoretical concepts are important in contemporary art practice. The ongoing and fascinating discussion of exactly what role theory should play, and the influence of theory on art practice, are at the heart of this collection. By presenting the seemingly simple question 'Why, what and how theory?' to a range of people who are involved in international art education in the realm of fine art and performing art, this book provides an inventory of current opinions in this area.

What do we mean by theory in the arts, and what role does it play in that sense? Theory appears as an active, transformative, fluid, and communicative element of art practices, and research in the arts in particular. Theory is the fluid that perfuses and connects the territory of fine art and design, as well as other art forms such as music, architecture, writing, moving images, dance, and theatre. At the heart of this publication is the new field of research in theory and the way the ArtEZ T...