You are keen to gain more insight into the innovative potential of painting in a rapidly changing world. You are aware of the forces of physicality and materiality in art work, and you take a painterly approach to conducting your experimental research into the functioning of perception psychology, cognition and imagination. A painting both reveals how ideas are imagined and shows how material is edited and used. Taking a painterly and critical approach means harnessing materiality to create new links and associations. By combining ideation and materiality, transforming your ideas into unexpected, meaningful and powerful images, you determine the meaning and significance of your work in contemporary society.
Past, present and future
All over the world, painting has been reinvented as a result of political changes, the digitisation of society, demand for a postcolonial perspective and the current runaway art market. Alongside its emphasis on materiality and ideation, the Painting programme responds to these developments by continually seeking a dialogue between different viewpoints on the past, present and future: between perception and cognition, image and language, stable and unstable media, old and new technologies and, in a broader sense, between art and science and both local and global forms of society. This allows us to collectively explore charted and uncharted territories whilst sharing our views and ideas, working in groups and learning from each other. At the same time, you will also embark on your own path, improving your knowledge and skills, and learning to reflect critically on your own position, role and work and on the world around you.
Hybrid practice
Students come to the Painting programme from a range of different areas, including art and design, but all share a fascination for painting. The mix of disciplines enables you to hone your artistic vision, working in a hybrid practice as a critical and engaged artist. As your art increasingly engages with the world, you will grow both as an individual and in your artistic practice, reinforcing the power of your imagination and exploring your own relationship to a transforming, technologically charged society.
