Context (Pool) 2: Art & Philosophy

Some philosophers regard images as actors. They argue that images speak or communicate via a force which is still being questioned and is not considered plausible for others. In this seminar we will use this idea as a starting point to discover a key book: Philippe Descola’s book "Forms of the Visible: An Anthropology of Figuration" in which he discusses the power of images and proposes a method to evaluate current discourses on the dynamics of images. Descola has a background in anthropology. The book reflects the different cultures and practices of images and art. The seminar will begin with an introduction and an overview of current concepts. Then we will read and discuss Descola’s arguments. In a next step we will relate this to your work. During exhibition visits, we will specify our discussions with concrete experiences of viewing art works. We will reflect on this in relation to mediated presentations of artistic positions in Descola’s book, and in distinguished journals (print and online), as well as in books and exhibition catalogues.

About the lecturer:

Nils Röller is a professor at the Zurich University of the Arts. In autumn 2025 he has published "Philosophia – Poetik der Wahrnehmung", a book on the poetics of perception. His research focuses on the relation between art, poetry and philosophy. In the "Journal for Art, Sex and Mathematics" he has published experimental posts in collaboration with artists and poets since 2006. Recent publications in English and German include "Passages", "The Cut and the Book", "Interfacing Philosophy”. He edited the issue "Text-Image Parergon" for Koko magazine. Former publications as "Roth der Grosse", "Bittermeer", "Alpentram" evolve as discussions of processes established in contemporary poetry.