ART 101: HOW TO READ CONTEMPORARY ART TODAY

This lecture series invites participants to look closely at contemporary art and think about how it engages with the world around us. Across three parts made up of five sessions each, we explore how art is made, shared, and experienced, and how artists help us see familiar and unfamiliar ideas in new ways. Rather than presenting a single story of contemporary art, the series considers multiple perspectives, from identity and memory to technology and the environment, encouraging group discussions and collective reflections.

APPLY FOR ART 101, PART 2

SERIES STRUCTURE

The series is made up of three parts, each consisting of five lectures in English. You can choose to complete all of them or just the ones you prefer.

4/2–4/3 2026 — CURRENTLY ONGOING
Part 1: Why Is This Art? asks how we make sense of the contemporary: what it means, why it keeps changing, and why it matters.

PART 1 PROGRAMME HERE

18/3–15/4 2026 — TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE
Part 2: Who Makes the Art World? looks at who shapes the art world, and how artists, curators, and institutions work together — or against each other — to create meaning.

PART 2 PROGRAMME HERE

29/4–27/5 2026 — RESERVATIONS OPEN SOON
Part 3: Materiality, Medium, and Intermedia Practice explores the materials and media artists use today, and how these choices reveal new ways of seeing and feeling the world around us.

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN, AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

  • You’ll explore what it means to look at art today, and how artists help you see the world in new and inspiring ways. 

  • You'll learn about how artists respond to the world around us today, from identity and memory to technology and the environment. 

  • You'll make sure that contemporary art is not something to be afraid of.   

  • You’ll look at how different experiences and perspectives influence what we see in galleries and beyond. 

  • You’ll gain an overview of the most significant international as well as local artists today  

  • You’ll have space for discussion and reflection. 

  • Art 101 is an invitation to slow down, look closely, and think together about how art speaks to the world we all share.  

  • The course is led by British artist and educator Peter Watkins. 

APPLY FOR PART 2 NOW

PART 2: WHO MAKES THE ART WORLD?

This section considers the global art market – who shapes it, who funds it, who’s included or excluded, and how power operates at every level. It looks at the roles of galleries, collectors, institutions, and other players, and how these structures affect what is seen, valued, and supported. It also focuses on how artists respond to and shape these conditions, often through collective, critical, or experimental practices. 

WHEN AND WHERE
Every Wednesday from 18 March to 15 April 2026.
Always from 6 PM to 7.30 PM at Kunsthalle Praha.

PRICE
3500 CZK, including study materials and light refreshments.
10% discount for all membership categories.

Lecture 1: What do artists do all day? 

This lecture explores the artist’s studio as both a workspace and a site of myth-making. It considers the balance between labour and visibility, how artistic personas are constructed, and the ways studio practice is defined or redefined. The studio is not a fixed concept—it can take many forms, from private workshops to collaborative spaces, digital environments, or site-specific setups. Artists’ modes of production vary widely, shaping the aesthetics of their work and the way their labour is understood. The lecture looks at how these diverse practices challenge traditional ideas of what it means to “work” as an artist. 

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:  

  • What happens in the artist's studio? What is a studio practice, and what does it look like?  

  • How does the idea of the “artist at work” shape perception of their practice? 

  • In what ways can the studio itself be considered part of an artwork? 

  • How do artists manage the balance between public image, personal identity, and the everyday work of making art? 

Lecture 2: Who decides what we see? 

This lecture examines the role of galleries, museums, and other cultural institutions in shaping what art reaches the public. It considers collecting, curatorial programing, patronage, and the decisions that influence visibility, value, and inclusion. The session looks at how artists and critics respond to, challenge, or work inside and outside of these structures, considering the politics and dynamics at play behind exhibition-making and institutional authority. 

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:  

  • Who gets to decide which artists and artworks are shown, and why? 

  • How do curatorial choices shape our understanding of art and its value? 

  • In what ways can institutions be challenged or critiqued from within or outside?

Lecture 3: Collectors, patrons, and influence 

This lecture explores the relationships between artists, collectors, and patrons, focusing on how capital, support, and philanthropy shape the art world. It examines how funding decisions influence what is produced, shown, and preserved, and how artists navigate these structures. The session also considers the broader impact of patronage on artistic practice, visibility, and the circulation of ideas, as well as how the climate and landscape around this topic is shifting.  

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:  

  • How does the source of funding influence which artworks are produced and exhibited? 

  • In what ways do artists engage with or respond to collectors and patrons? 

  • How does patronage shape public access to, and perception of, art?

Lecture 4: The global art circuit 

This lecture examines the structures and networks of the global art circuit, including art fairs, biennials, and festivals. It considers how these events shape which artists, ideas, and regions gain visibility, and how official and unofficial programming influence cultural exchange. The session also explores the role of globalisation and institutional influence in determining whose voices are heard and how artistic value is circulated internationally. 

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:  

  • How do large-scale art events shape which artists and ideas gain international attention? 

  • What is the difference between official and unofficial programming? 

  • How does the global art circuit influence perceptions of artistic value and cultural authority? 

Lecture 5: Collectivity, archives, and alternative models 

This lecture explores  ways of making, exhibiting, and preserving art outside of traditional institutions. It looks at artist-run spaces, collectives, and grassroots organising, as well as the use of archives as a method and medium of artistic practice. The session considers how collaboration, collectivity, and archival strategies offer ways of producing, understanding, and circulating art, challenging conventional hierarchies and modes of visibility. 

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT:  

  • How can collective or collaborative approaches change the way art is made and experienced? 

  • In what ways can archives function as both a tool and a form of artistic practice? 

  • How do alternative models of organisation challenge traditional hierarchies in the art world? 

APPLY FOR PART 2 / GIVE AS A GIFT

WHO IS YOUR LECTURER?

PETER WATKINS

Peter Watkins is a British artist and educator based in Prague. His work begins with photography and extends into sculpture, video, installation, and text to examine trauma, loss, history, and the structures through which personal and collective memory are formed. Alongside his autobiographical practice, he develops socially engaged projects that focus on visibility, solidarity, and collective forms of image-making. 

Watkins graduated from the University of Westminster (2008) and the Royal College of Art (2014, Distinction). He lectures in Photography at FAMU, Prague, and is a regular guest speaker at several UK universities. 

His work has been exhibited internationally, with solo exhibitions at Galerie NoD (Prague), Webber Gallery (London), Open Eye Gallery (Liverpool), The Ravestijn Gallery (Amsterdam), Format Festival (Derby), and Brighton Photo Fringe. His projects have been featured in The Guardian, British Journal of Photography, 1000 Words, Numero, Hotshoe, and Photoworks. He has received multiple awards, including the Guernsey International Photography Award (2018) and the Skinnerboox Book Award (2019). His book The Unforgetting was shortlisted for the Rencontres d’ Arles Author Book Award (2020) and named one of The Guardian’s best books of 2019. 

Works from his collaboration with Tereza Zelenková, Index of Time, are held in the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and Museum Winterthur (Switzerland). 

ART 101 LECTURES ARCHIVE

Part 1: Why Is This Art? 4/2–4/3 2026

Lecture 1: What is contemporary art?

What is the role of contemporary art today, and what does it actually mean? Is it simply art made now, or does it reflect a particular way of seeing and thinking about the world? This session explores how artists from Duchamp to Pierre Huyghe have redefined what art can be, and how ideas of time, context, and experience shape what we call “the contemporary.”

Questions to think about:
What do we mean when we talk about “contemporary art”?
How has the idea of art changed over the last hundred years?
How does identity and lived experience shape what counts as contemporary?

Lecture 2: I could have done that

This is a common reaction to conceptual or minimal works that oftentimes seem simple or effortless in their creation. But what makes something “art”? Do you need skill to make it? This session looks at how artists have challenged traditional ideas of work and value, and how art can be as much about ideas as it is about making.

Questions to think about:
What is the role of “work” in contemporary art, and do we need skill to make it?
How does “authorship” change when ideas matter more than materials?
How does the viewer contribute to the making of meaning?

Lecture 3: Why go to a gallery?

Most of us now encounter art first and foremost through screens. What difference does it make to experience it in person? This session explores how gallery spaces shape our understanding, and how artists have questioned, reimagined, or even rejected the traditional “white cube.” Together we’ll think about why physical experience, and being present with others, can still change how we see and feel art.

Questions to think about:
How do gallery spaces influence the way we see art?
What happens when artists challenge the spaces that show their work?
Why does physical experience still matter in a digital world?

Lecture 4: Is it kitsch or is it art?

Taste feels personal, but it’s deeply connected to culture, education, and class. What makes one artwork “serious” and another “tacky”? Who decides what counts as good or bad taste? This session explores how artists have played with and challenged these hierarchies — using humour, parody, and excess as tools of critique.

Questions to consider:
Who decides what makes art “good” or “bad”?
How do culture and class shape our ideas of taste?
How do artists utilize humour, parody, or excess in the contemporary?

Lecture 5: What does it all mean?

Many people approach art with this question — and often, there’s no fixed answer. Meaning in art can be fluid, layered, and open to interpretation. This session looks at how artists and audiences make meaning together, and how openness and accessibility have become central to the experience of contemporary art.

Questions to consider:
Who decides what an artwork means?
How do artists invite multiple interpretations of their work?
How can museums and galleries make encounters with art more open and inclusive?