HA981-30 Art of the African City

Department: SCAPVC - History of Art
Level: Taught Postgraduate Level
Module leader: Jonathan Cane
Credit value: 30
Module duration: 10 weeks
Assessment: 100% coursework
Study location: University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Introductory description

This module will explore the relationship between art and architecture in Africa from the mid-twentieth century to the present. The course is organised around several art practices, architectural sites and critical concepts which support the analysis of modern and contemporary art from the continent.

Module aims

‘The Art of the African City’ takes account of museum practice, the rise of the city biennales, work by artists-as-architects and architects-as-artists, artists critically engaged with urbanism, spatial practices and site-specificity, and the architectural and urban dimensions of contemporary debates about decolonisation, repatriation and memorialisation. The locations under consideration include Johannesburg, Lagos, Luanda, Maputo, Kinshasa, New York, and the mythic-political space, Azania. While we examine places — museums, landscape gardens, harbours, and palaces — which can be found on the map, it is also essential to generate atlases that can locate imagined, digital, unbuilt and speculative practices which orientate African art in relation to the so-called Global North.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

London
Dalaba
Johannesburg
Gbadolite
Azania
Oxford
Benin City
Lagos
Luanda & Maputo
Kinshasa

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

command a knowledge of key works of African postcolonial art and architecture
demonstrate a grasp of the history and theory of relations between visual art and architecture in Africa
relate the urban histories of postcolonial African to wider ideas in international modern architecture
show a critical awareness of current debates about African art and architecture
initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate at an appropriate level
ability to undertake research and to write up the results using accurately specific techniques of analysis and enquiry in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level
familiarity with essential ICT skills
ability to collaborate effectively with others
show understanding of diverse viewpoints
ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence
ability to formulate a sustained argument
think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level
ability to conduct independent research and analysis
sophisticated visual analysis and understanding visual culture
bibliographical skills at an appropriate level
critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context

Indicative reading list

De Boeck, F. & Baloji, S. 2016. Suturing the City: Living Together in Congo’s Urban Worlds. London: Autograph APB.
Enwezor, O. (ed). 1997. Trade Routes: History and Geography. 2nd Johannesburg Biennale. Johannesburg: Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council.
Hug, A. (ed). 2002. 25a Bienal de São Paulo. Iconografias Metropolitanas: Cidades. São Paulo: Fundaçao Bienal de São Paulo. http://www.bienal.org.br/publicacoes/7055
Malcolmess, B. 2019. Don’t get it twisted: Queer performativity and the emptying out of gesture. In: Acts of Transgression: Contemporary live art in South Africa (eds) C. Boulle, & J. Pather. Johannesburg: Wits University Press.
Mbembe, Achille. 2019. Lectures On the Restitution of African Art Objects.
Morton, D. 2019. Age of Concrete: Housing and the Shape of Aspiration in the Capital of Mozambique. Athens, OH: Ohio University Press.
Nolan, G. 2018. “Bricolage… or the Impossibility of Pollution.” e-flux Architecture.
Ondjaki. 2018. Transparent City. (Trans.) Stephen Henighan. Windsor: Biblioasis.
Sarr, Felwine and Savoy, Bénédicte. 2018. The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage: Toward a New Relational Ethics. (Trans D. Burk). Paris: Ministère de la Culture.
Suzuki, S. 2018. Bodys Isek Kingelez, edited by Sarah Suzuki. New York: MoMA

Subject specific skills

Command a knowledge of key works of African postcolonial art and architecture
Demonstrate a grasp of the history and theory of relations between visual art and architecture in Africa
Relate the urban histories of postcolonial African to wider ideas in international modern architecture
Show a critical awareness of current debates about African art and architecture
Sophisticated visual analysis and understanding visual culture
Critical analysis of cultural artefacts in their context

Transferable skills

initiate and sustain group discussion through intelligent questioning and debate at an appropriate level
ability to undertake research and to write up the results using accurately specific techniques of analysis and enquiry in the form of a well-structured argument at an appropriate level
familiarity with essential ICT skills
ability to collaborate effectively with others
show understanding of diverse viewpoints
ability to find, select, organize and synthesize evidence
ability to formulate a sustained argument
think conceptually and independently at an appropriate level
ability to conduct independent research and analysis
bibliographical skills at an appropriate level

Study time

Type	Required
Seminars	20 sessions of 2 hours (13%)
Tutorials	3 sessions of 1 hour (1%)
Private study	257 hours (86%)
Total	300 hours

Private study description

Required and recommended reading for seminars and tutorial and research for written assessment

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A

	Weighting	Eligible for self-certification
Assessment component
5,000 Word Essay	90%	Yes (extension)
Assessed Essay
Reassessment component is the same
Assessment component
Engagement	10%	No
Reassessment component is the same

Feedback on assessment

Written feedback and dedicated feedback tutorials

Courses

This module is Option list A for:

Year 1 of THAA-V4PJ Postgraduate Taught History of Art and Visual Studies