MFA Fine Art

Having been at Goldsmiths and London for more than a month, I have noticed a very diverse and dynamic campus, accommodating people from different backgrounds, and different different. The university hosts a variety of programmes and events on various subjects, a number of which I have enjoyed participating in over the past month. These programmes give an insight into the topics that are being researched and worked on in other departments, and provide an opportunity to further explore counter-relations.

Goldsmiths staff were understanding and helpful, as were staff in the Art Department, who helped with any problems or issues I had.

As a Photography graduate from the University of Tehran, I have never experienced studying in such an internationally engaged institution. I have met many students from all over the world, making the programme a great place to share opinions and ideas while building inter-cultural relationships. I find Goldsmiths a great place for networking, and getting to know now-established and future figures in my field, which brings the possibility of collective working in the future.

I expect Goldsmiths to hold on to these principles, continue improving support for international students, and maintain a diverse campus.

I graduated from MFA Curating in 2016, I chose Goldsmiths because I felt related to the way of thinking of the academics and professors. I always enjoyed the thought of studying at a University that produces so much knowledge, debate and new ideas. I felt the art department was a space for exchange, encounters, friends and collaborations, but most of all, with the freedom for creating and developing your own work.

The first year of study was really hard. I guess every Masters degree makes you constantly question your own practice. I was reflecting so much on my role as a curator and my own interests. Yet, in second year everything made sense. The Goldsmiths scheme allowed me to be reflective, critical and speculative. It also gave me a lot of time to think, to read, to see and to reflect on my work. Tutors were continuously challenging and questioning your practice but were also very supportive.

Besides that, I really enjoyed my colleagues, as we all went through this experience together. I am still friends with many of them and I am part of a curatorial collective some of us created after the course.

Since graduating, I have done all sorts of things in the art-field! I have curated shows in different cities, I have published a book, I have worked as a Research Coordinator in a contemporary art museum, I have written for different media, and I have funded my own project. My independent practice has allowed me to form relationships with institutions, artists, and fellow-curators whilst also giving me the chance to pursue my own interests. I have had the opportunity to have residencies; last year I was part of Shanghai Curators Lab. Currently I am based in Mexico City and I am working at Salón ACME; I am Fellow Curator at MARCE Museum and I'm chief curator of Palmera ardiendo, an independent platform for contemporary art.

Goldsmiths gave me the confidence to become a curator. Critical thinking as well as freedom of thought, academic rigour and a practical approach are fundamental things I found at Goldsmiths. Thanks to my whole process of doing an MFA in London nowadays I can engage with projects of any size. I feel like I can take risks, experiment and develop my practice in different areas.

I was always challenged by the faculty, the guest speakers, the readings and the projects we were assigned. The organization of the course mimicked the real-life enterprise of a curator—in having to constantly conceive innovative content that is both academically sound, relevant, and, hopefully, visually stimulating and provocative. The faculty encouraged us to probe deeply into the socio-political and economic structures underpinning the art, theory, and narratives we were engaging with, and lead by the example with their own writings and programming. I thrived because of the healthy distribution of class time, coursework, and personal time for museum-going and socializing with the many colleagues—curators, artists, and other arts workers, who I’m friends with to this day. The course afforded me enough time that I was also to hold a part-time job at the non-profit art space Studio Voltaire, which was an economic plus that also afforded me additional professional experience.