Teaching and Research Profile

Anthony has been teaching on the MA in Contemporary Art at Sotheby's Institute of Art - London for six years, and was appointed Programme Director in 2006. Prior to his current teaching role, he lectured at Goldsmiths College and Birkbeck College (both University of London).

At Sotheby's Institute of Art Anthony gives specialist lectures on Abstract Expressionism, Minimalism, Video Art, contemporary African cultural production, and on exhibitions such as Documenta XI and XII (2002; 2007), Africa Remix (2006), and Snap Judgments (2006). He also gives 'Artist in Focus' lectures on Matthew Barney, Miroslav Balka and Yto Barrada.

Since joining the Institute Anthony has completed his Ph.D and is currently researching for a book on Ethics, Politics and Aesthetics in Contemporary Art (forthcoming). He is also currently writing essays on Relational Aesthetics, the Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, the British artist Yinka Shonibare (MBE), an article on artistic responses to war, and an essay for a forthcoming edited volume on Art and Value. He has selected a number of his recent essays and publications below.

Recent Chapters in Books/ Catalogue Essays/Reviews
*=forthcoming
2007/09
1. * ‘Practice and Theory’, Anthony Downey in Conversation with Yinka Shonibare, in Theories and Documents of Contemporary Art: A Sourcebook of Artist’s Writings (revised ed.), edited by Kristine Stiles and Peter Selz (California: University of California Press, 2009)

2. * 'Zones of Indistinction: Giorgio Agamben’s Bare Life’ and the Ethics of Aesthetics’ Third Text, summer 2008

3. *’At the Limits of the Image: Representations of Torture in Popular Culture’, Brumaria, 10, Spring 2009

4. *Setting the Stage: Yinka Shonibare in Conversation with Anthony Downey’, with Yinka Shonibare MBE, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, October 2008.

5. Essay ‘Neither Here Nor There: 5 Artists on Time’, Agency Gallery Publications (London)/A61 (Koln), February 2008.

6. Essay, ‘Towards a Politics of (Relational) Aesthetics’, Third Text, issue 86, vol. 21, no. 3. May 2007.

7. Essay Review, ‘Belatedness All Over Again: The African Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennial’, Third Text, Vol. 21, Issue 6, November, 2007, pp. 781–785

8. Catalogue Essay, ‘Recursive Logic: Lucas Samaras Through the Looking Glass, in Lucas Samaras, Stephen Friedman Gallery, 2007

9. Catalogue Essay, ‘Seeing (and not seeing) the Whole Picture:The Aesthetics of Land Politics in Contemporary Kuninjku Bark Painting’, Rarrk-London, (Josh Lilley Publications, 2007), pp. 14-20. (ISBN 978 0 9556955 0 5 )

10. Catalogue Essay, ‘Global Warming is Good for You: Aesthetics and the Politics of Environmentalism’, in Die Green, Live Pretty, (Arts Co., 2007).

11. ‘Sustainable Photography: Simon Starling’s “One Tone, II”’ , Next Level, Autumn 2007.

12. Review, Thomas Hirschhorn ‘Substitute 2’ @ Stephen Friedman, London, Flash Art, vol. XL, no. 254, 2007

13. *Essay, ‘Selling Contemporary Art and Used Cars: Art and Value’, in Art Business, ed. by Iain Robertson, (Routledge, 2007).

14. Essay, ‘Aesthetics Redux: Art, Protest, and Autonomy’, Untitled Magazine, Spring issue, 2007.

15. Review, Mark Wallinger @ Tate Britian, Flash Art, vol. XL, no. 253, 2007

16. * Essay, ‘Centrum fur Licht Kunst’, Art and Architectural Journal, Spring issue , 2007.

Recent Invited Lectures and Talks
1. Invited Paper, 'Documenting Disappearance', London School of Economics, May 15th 2008-05-07
2. Chairperson, ‘And I Bring Back Untold Treasures: The Curator As Artistic Importer’, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 14th May.
3. *Conference Paper , ‘The Burden of Representation: Contemporary Visual Arts in the Middle East’ , Representing Islam: Comparative Perspectives, Manchester University, 5-6 September 2008
4. *Conference Paper, ‘At the Limits of the Image: Representations of Torture in Popular Culture’, Symposium on Iconoclasm and Iconolatry. Image, terrorism and blindness at CENDEAC, Murcia, Spain, 14-14 October 2008
5. Panellist, ‘Emerging Contemporary Art Markets’, London Business School, May 30th 2008-05-22
6. Guest Lecture, ‘Critical Imperatives: Africa Remix and the Curatorial Dilemma’, Programme in Museum Studies, Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, New York, April 8th 2008.
7. Guest Speaker, ‘Beyond Identity Politics: Excessive Identities in the work of Yinka Shonibare, Aimé Ntakiyika, and Samuel Fosso’, Diasporic Bodies and Visual Culture, Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University, April 12th, 2008
8. Invited paper, ‘Time Was When’: Duration in the Work of Zarina Bhimji, Yto Barrada, Fatou Kande Senghor, and Allan deSouza’. International Conference on Time and Photography, Leuven and Louvain-La-Leuve, 13th March-15th March, 2008.
9. Invited paper, ‘Yto Barrada and the Politics of Aesthetics, Colour Photography: From Autochrome to Cibachrome, Courtauld Institute, November 10th 2007
10. Invited Talk, ‘Ecology and Art’, (with David de Rothschild), Die Green, Live Pretty, Arts Co. 2007. 15th October, 2007
11. Invited Talk, ‘Environmentalism and Art’, (with Charles Secrett), Die Green, Live Pretty, Arts Co. 2007. 15th October, 2007