Theoretical thinking plays an ever increasing role in the creation and understanding of contemporary art. The Art and Theory Reading Group aims to create a meeting place for those interested in expanding their understanding of the relationship between the two, by exploring the work of key contemporary thinkers and practitioners.

Meetings are organised around given themes, the first of these was Art as Gift, which, from January to April 2017, examined the hypothesis that we experience the presence of things, such as works of art, as something given i.e. as gifts. This was approached through Jacques Derrida’s writings on the gift in Given Time: 1. Counterfeit Money (1991).

The most recent Art and Theory Reading Group project examined painting’s relationship to networks, through an exhibition: Visualising the Network and a reading of David Joselit’s essay Painting Beside Itself (2009).

Further Information
The Art & Theory Reading Group meets at Wollaton Street Studios, Nottingham, if you are interested in joining please get in touch.

Derek Hampson, Peter Suchin
Convenors, Art & Theory Reading Group