Sheida Solemani
In our era of the remix, sampling has become its own art form. This course will critically explore the material and conceptual possibilities of the mash-up. From the history of montage in the Weimar Republic to sampling from rap songs, the remix has always been a way to synthesize critical dialog—whether playful or pointed, it has been used as a strategy to embed place, context, cultural references and politically-charged content. Through collage, drawing, photography, printmaking and book arts, students will mine personal and institutional archives to create works that put unlikely or unexpected source material in critical conversation. Students will explore how to synthesize deeply researched subject matter with material experimentation, hijack graphic design language to subvert content, and critically use appropriated imagery and text to tell alternative narratives. Studio projects will be supplemented by relevant demos, readings, and discussions of art historical movements such as DADA and Pattern and Decoration. All projects will be contextualized alongside discussions of contemporary artists such as Taryn Simon, Sheida Solemani, Sam Vernon, Mickalene Thomas, Catherine Lorde, Clive Murphy, Christopher Clary, Hank Willis Thomas, Guadalupe Maravilla and many more.
