Applications open for Master of Fine Arts at the Art Institute in Basel

How can we help you to envision our master of fine arts, besides listing its formal traits? See it as a wave, a wave of cooperation, that makes you feel part of a milieu in which the substance of the political becomes present through not only questions about nature, gender, and ethnicity, but also the care we take in making art, in understanding the conditions that determine the present and the future of the many different artistic communities of today. 

To study is courageous. It is defined by an interest in one’s work and the relations we can establish with that work, as well as by a concerns for others. The importance of understanding the way we think now, or don’t think, about nature—about nature as gender, nature in relation to technology, gender in relation to all the intersection of class and ethnicity—defines artistic practice and exhibition-making, both past and future. Time in the studio, therefore, is important, and so are all the opportunities we offer to enjoy the amazing workshops and the technical facilities that help you think not only about materials but also the skills and the role it all plays in the politics of our difficult coexistence with analog and digital worlds. Mentoring is fundamental too, because it encourages you to present your proposals to the group and to talk to many other artists, to find methods of study that will motivate you anew in your work. 

The program is defined by our confidence in a highly engaged form of being with each other, which predisposes us to the relevant questions that affect the future of our social life—the only thing that prepares us to act in the real world. Artistic practice and a commitment to understand the complexity of life, artistic practice and technical competence, artistic practice and responsible participation in the development of the events. 

Our master’s is a two year international program, during which we expect you to use all of our workshops; to attend the many different seminars organized by our staff and guests; to participate in the Plenum, a platform to collectively discuss your work; to choose different mentors to assist and motivate you; to engage with the projects, international partnerships, summer schools, and exhibitions we organize outside the institute. Our main goal is to contribute to your development as artists; yours is to take part in the collective effort to evolve a cognitive ease in making and thinking about art. 

Studying in Basel may sound a little out of the ordinary, yet the city offers an unprecedented opportunity to gain a fundamental knowledge about today’s art systems. The relevancy of Basel to contemporary art facilitates both an insight into the works of the many artists who are active around us as well as a relationship to the cohort of neighboring art institutions, not-for-profit spaces, and curators. The Art Institute is located on the Campus of the Arts, a hub for creativity and artistic practices. This vicinity with art institutions and outstandingly equipped workshops makes the Art Institute a very special place for art production.

As a public institution, our facilities and workshops are accessible at all times, and the applied fees are accordingly low. Though the costs of living in Switzerland are high, the economically feasible options in Basel are many.  

The deadline for applications is March 15, 2019, with the program starting in September 2019. More information about the master’s program and the admission process can be found online.

Get in touch: info.kunst.hgk [​at​] fhnw.ch / T +41 61 228 40 77