DADA AND ITS LEGACY

May 15, 17, 19 - 5 p.m.

This series explores one of the most radical art movements in the 20th century - Dadaism.  The first lecture addresses the emergence of Dada within the turbulent context of World War I and the disillusionment that gripped Europe. It explores the Cabaret Voltaire as the birthplace of the movement, where figures such as Hugo Ball, Emmy Hennings, and Tristan Tzara staged absurdist performances that mocked authority and reason. 

The second lecture examines the groundbreaking techniques that defined Dada’s visual vocabulary. It looks at the invention of collage and photomontage as tools of political and cultural critique, as exemplified by the absurdist assemblages of Kurt Schwitters and Hannah Höch’s photomontages, which exposed the contradictions of gender and identity in Weimar Germany.

The concluding lecture traces Dada’s international diffusion and enduring legacy. It considers how local conditions shaped its diverse manifestations, as well as Dada’s profound influence on later avant-garde movements, including Surrealism’s dream imagery, Fluxus’s embrace of performance and chance, and Conceptual Art’s focus on ideas over objects. 

Structure: Each lecture is a live event via zoom: a brief check and introduction, to ensure that participants have been able to connect, followed by a slide-presentation of about 50-60 minutes, and a Q&A discussion of about 20-30 minutes. Participants do not have to sign up for a zoom account. The link to the lecture is sent on the day of the event.

Fee: 20 USD per person/ per lecture  60 USD for the series