Environmental Thinking in Artistic and Curatorial Practices

The course is designed to introduce you to the latest theories and artistic practices around the expanded notion of “environment” and environmental thought, to explore how it has transformed across time, as well as its reciprocity with areas of research like decolonization, feminism, and institutional critique. We start with a critical reading of more classical artistic movements widely known as “Environmental/Land/Earth Art” to then move into the exploration of the political implications of experiences like Global Tools, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, The Harrison (or even others like Joseph Beuys and Gordon Matta Clark) who critically expanded these notions towards more process-oriented/pedagogical practices at the intersection between the natural and the built environment, arts, sciences, and economy. We will also look into the “geological turn” that departs from the theory of the Anthropocene and its critiques to then introduce and present the more complex approach proposed under the umbrella term.

Emanuele Guidi is a writer, curator and researcher based in Berlin.

Guidi is PhD candidate in Practice in Curating at the University of Reading & Zurich University of the Arts with a research titled “Like a Mountain / Like a Mall, How Institutions think within their Environment”.

He teaches both Methodologies for Art & Ecology and Museology at NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (Milan and Rome). 

From 2013 and 2022 he was artistic director at ar/ge kunst, Kunstverein of Bolzano (Italy) where he carried on a program of commissions and productions, exploring the mutual relationship between visual art and publishing, architecture, live arts and theory. At ar/ge kunst he curated solo shows by, a.o. Mohamed Bourouissa, Ho Tzu Nyen, Jumana Manna, Slavs and Tatars, Otobong Nkanga.  

Further recent curated projects include: hostileenvironments.eu (online platform and symposium, 2020-2021), Silver Rights, Elena Mazzi (Södertäljie Konsthal, Sweden 2021), Shadow Writings, Lorenzo Sandoval (Centro Párraga, Murcia, 2020).

Among his edited publications: Silver Rights, (Archive Books, 2021, with E. Mazzi), Image Diplomacy, Vladislav Shapovalov (Mousse, 2020, with A. Siclodi); Spaces of Anticipation (Oncurating Journal, 2018, with L. Sandoval); The Variational Status (Humboldt Books, 2017 with R. Giacconi); Rehearsing Collectivity – Choreography Beyond Dance (Argobooks, 2012, with E. Basteri, E. Ricci); Urban Makers – Parallel Narratives of Grassroots Practices and Tensions (Bbooks, 2008).