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Course

Course

On the Fine Art course in Enschede, you will develop into a professional and competent independent visual artist with your own identity and vision, enabling you to define your own place in the field of contemporary art.   

Course structure

  • In the first year of this Fine Art course, you will learn to handle various disciplines, such as painting, drawing, photography, graphics, spatial work and new media. You will also take classes in art theory and philosophy and learn academic skills such as analysing and writing texts. At the end of the year, you will choose to focus on the flat surface (Painting) or on space (All Space & Sculpture). A flexible team of lecturers is involved in both pillars. 

    In the first year you can also apply for the Honours Programme as a supplement to the theoretical programme of your own bachelor course..<link naar pagina Honours Programme> 

  • The second year is all about what interests you and what you would like to make. You will work on developing your own visual language in small groups. You will be supervised by at least three lecturers. Each semester will conclude with an assessment (review of work). During this assessment, practice, ART LAB and your technical skills will be tested. There are interim assessments for theory and philosophy. 

  • In the third year of the course, you will immerse yourself further in your personal discipline under the supervision of your lecturers and guest lecturers. You will work independently and take the lead in fleshing out your own practical programme.   

    The international exchange programme offers you the opportunity to study at an academy abroad for a period of three to six months. We have contacts with many international academies and art institutions where you can spend a semester.   

    You can also choose to tackle the theory and practice of a subject or technique in more depth; for this purpose, you will be required to write a project proposal. During the process, you will be supervised by a theory lecturer and a practice lecturer.  

     

  • In the fourth and final year of the bachelor course, you will follow a programme that will prepare you for your future work practice. You will also write a graduation thesis under the supervision of a theory lecturer and work on a final exam work. You will exhibit this work at the major annual graduate retrospective. The exhibition is visited by collectors, exhibition makers, gallery owners and critics.  

What do you learn on the Fine Art course at AKI ArtEZ?

Erik Aardema
Erik Aardema, Fine Art AKI

The first year of this four-year bachelor is a broad introductory year; a year in which you will get to know new possibilities and try out a lot of things, together with other art disciplines. You will have classes with up to thirty students. At the end of the second semester, you’ll choose one of the ‘specialisations’: Painting or All Space & Sculpture. This choice is the starting point for your course in the main phase.   

Through making and critical thinking, you will develop a unique position, broadening your own palette with ground-breaking and cross-disciplinary research. Because visual art is not bound to traditional techniques, you will work with new and old media and combinations.  

Building blocks during the Fine Art course are:  

  • Practice 
    Your work will develop through conversations with teachers and fellow students, technical skills and theoretical and philosophical knowledge.  
  • ART LAB
    Every year, you will get the chance to participate in several ART LABs, in which you will become acquainted with an area of work that is important for contemporary art and is not always covered in the regular curriculum. You will apply the knowledge you gain in your own pillar (Painting or All Space & Sculpture) and elaborate it further in consultation with your lecturers.  
  • General 
    You will take subjects in the fields of art theory, philosophy, technical skills, preparation for professional practice (e.g. website, portfolio photography, writing project plans and administrative knowledge) and subject theory (writing about the work, presenting yourself, contemplating the work and reflecting in group discussions).  
  • Theory and philosophy 
    Making and thinking are inseparable. In the first year, you will take the subject ThINK and acquire a basic knowledge of philosophy. From the second year onwards, you will identify links with your own work, together with a theory and philosophy lecturer. In the third year of the bachelor, this will increasingly take the form of theoretical research within your own field of work. You will elaborate on various substantive themes and analyse your own research methods. In your fourth year, you will write your own graduation thesis.  
  • Guest classes, lectures, clinics and excursions  
    As your course progresses, the focus will increasingly be on finding your own artistic place within art and the world around you. We therefore encourage you to take part in excursions abroad, visit exhibitions and attend guest lectures by artists. In lectures and clinics, we will prepare you for your professional practice.  

Doing research outside of your regular class hours

When you study at ArtEZ, you also get acquainted with research. Think of theory classes, material research, and socially engaged research. Within your course, there is ample support and space to discover what kind of artistic researcher you are. But outside your regular class hours, there are also special initiatives, activities, and workshops where you can work on research. Especially for students who seek further depth. Curious? Then quickly read more about the (extracurricular) research activities.

Doing research outside of your regular class hours

Course supervision 

The AKI is about you and the way you relate to your environment. Individual supervision is aimed at refining your ambitions and developing your talents and skills. Techniques and materials, but also knowledge, autonomous thinking and presentation skills together make up the vehicle through which you prepare yourself for a dynamic professional practice. During discussions of each other’s work, you will learn to consider the work of fellow students and deal with criticism of your own.   

Facilities 

The Fine Art course, along with the Moving Image  and Crossmedia Design courses, together make up a small-scale art academy, a loose, non-competitive sanctuary for the autonomous artists and designers of today and tomorrow. Because of the small scale and character of the academy, friendships, mutual exchanges and collaboration easily arise across disciplines, sometimes even for life.   

AKI is small but complete, with workshops for metal, plastics, screen printing, graphics, ceramics and wood. With large-format plotters, laser cutters, 3D printers, an extensive video and photo studio and an analogue darkroom. With studios and exhibition spaces. It could hardly be better, but if a student has other requirements, we are always keen to find solutions. You can collaborate with students from the University of Technology, Saxion University of Applied Sciences and the ArtEZ Academy of Music.  

Studying in Enschede 

You can find more information about studying in Enschede here.