Norwegian artist Bjarne Melgaard will serve as Guest Professor for the Graduate Programme of Visual Arts at the Faculty of Design and Arts, Università Iuav di Venezia, organising 'Beyond Death: Viral Discontents and Contemporary Notions about AIDS,' an M.A. course that will look at the history and present of the AIDS crisis, and its reflection within contemporary art and discourse. With reference to the work of theorists such as Leo Bersani, Guy Hocquenghem and Lee Edelman, writers such as James Robert Baker and artists such as David Wojnarowicz, Melgaard will study, from the perspective of his artistic practice, how AIDS has shaped responses in the artistic and cultural sector, as well as behaviour and responses within a wider social and political context. The programme will include the participation of Leo Bersani as a Guest Lecturer. The M.A. course will commence in February 2011, and conclude in May 2011.
