Head: Gastprof.
Dr.phil. Helmut Draxler
Art Theory deals with the historical and societal conditions
in which art has become a subject of theory. Amongst these conditions are the divisions – decisive for modernity – between
the one autonomous Art and the many applied arts, between Art and Society as symbolic categories, or also between art as an
idea and the concrete practices of its utilization. The reconstruction of these divisions and the corresponding contingent
relationships represent the fundamental objective of the department.
Moreover, art theory can also be seen as an
orientation discipline in increasingly confusing times. Globalised contemporary art is always interwoven with the complex
occasions of its appearance and stands in diverse reciprocities with media, culture, and politics. Thus, art theory must uncover
the different coordinates according to which art can be evaluated today and comprehended in its potentials and chances. Only
between these coordinates can the special narrative forms of contemporary art, its models of subjectivity and collectivity,
and its political interventions be discussed.
Helmut Draxler
