ARTH 373 - Issues in Contemporary Canadian Art: Queer Art (From the 1980s)

• Wednesdays 11:45 am - 2:15 pm
• EV 1.615
• Instructor: Eva Crocker

This course is structured around a range of themes, theories, political events and activism that have informed queer art and visual culture in Canada since the 1980s. We will look at artists whose work troubles the idea of one cohesive, institutionalized version of queer history and challenges a narrative of linear progress. We will explore the relationship between queer art, activism and physical space by considering how deeply intertwined events like queer raves and protests are in many queer artists’ practices. We will also look at work that raises questions about how representation and visibility impact political autonomy and how to balance the importance of remembering with the dangers of memorialization.