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Contemporary Art Practice

The Major in Contemporary Art Practice has been developed specifically for the  Arts programme borrowing relevant modules and principles from the BA Fine Art.

On Major in Contemporary Art Practice, the student will take 40 ECTS in mandatory modules introducing them to core practice skills in Drawing, Painting, Sculpture and New Media, along with an introductory module to histories and theories of art, art-related research methods and a capstone research thesis reflecting on their studio work in the context of contemporary art discourse.

The student also chooses from optional modules in printing media, practice-based research, histories of modern and contemporary art and interdisciplinary theory seminars on a range of themes such as Art and Society, and Myth Today.

The Major Stream in Contemporary Art Practice will enable the student to originate, develop and articulate concepts in the core formats of Contemporary Art practices and how to apply an appropriate range of material and technical skills to their practice projects. The major will help them manage a focussed self-directed study and implement independent learning strategies in relation to practical and/or theoretical project work and to articulate a practical and theoretical understanding of Contemporary Art through a reflective research thesis

ECTS credits: 80

  • Total Number of Mandatory ECTS credits to be taken: 30
  • Total Number of Optional ECTS credits to be taken:  40
  • Total Number of Credits for the Capstone Project: 10

What is the latest (semester) a student can select the Major
Spring Recess 2nd Year

  • Drawing 1.1
  • Painting 1.1
  • Sculpture 1.1
  • Fine Art: Theories of History
  • New Media 2.3
  • Print Making Media 1.1
  • Research 1.2
  • Contemporary Studio Practices
  • FA2: The Legacies of Modernism
  • Fine Art 3: Postmodern and Contemporary Practices. 
  • Art & Society
  • Body Culture: The Self Visualised
  • Myth Today
  • Visual Culture of Natural Sciences
  • Narrative in Visual Culture
  • Exhibiting Memory: Cultures of Monuments and Museums
  • Contemporary Art Research Thesis Prep
  • Capstone*
  • Contemporary Art Research Thesis

The Major in Contemporary Art Practice major offers the student the opportunity to engage with Contemporary Art practices within the Fine Art Programme. Students will be able to take studio modules in the areas of Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, New Media as well as Art History, with further options on Printmaking Media, Artistic Research and Contemporary Studio Practices and a range of Art History and Theory modules.

This Major stream will cultivate a student’s acquisition of creative, critical and conceptual thinking regarding Contemporary Art Practice.   

The major stream in Contemporary Art Practice is designed for those interested in contemporary art and visual culture and is focused primarily on the acquisition of knowledge and skills, both practical and theoretical, which are necessary for a graduate to understand and engage with the arts sector.  As part of the intellectual studio environment and with access to key technical resources, the major students will explore their own unique creative potential and be equipped with core skills to realise their ideas in an art format. The educational context of the studio will also provide the student with an informed understanding of contemporary Fine Art, its evolution, contexts and critical discourses through the suite of modules offered.

The major encourages creativity and problem-solving, with a focus on contemporary social themes in art and peer-learning contexts. The student will be fluent in:

  • Engagement with independent and exploratory thinking modes through crit-based studio activities
  • Ability to recognise, value and encourage creativity through direct engagement with contemporary art
  • Capacity for critical thinking, by assessing creative research, history and practices.

All of these skills will be relevant to further careers and further study that support contemporary art: curation, exhibition-making and community arts programming