Research
The Department of Art has an active, dynamic, and interconnected research unit that consists of doctoral students, postdoctoral researchers, lecturers, and professors. We conduct research on art and other forms of visual culture, and its practices and education, through a transdisciplinary approach that brings together theoretical and practical knowledge.
We are interested in developing critical, analytical, and artistic research skills that help to approach art and visual culture in their various contexts: in artists’ spaces, classrooms, exhibitions, institutions, the public sphere, and societal discourse. In the Department of Art, research denotes an active process where one extends themselves to the world, works within the world, and examines and synthetizes knowledge, skills, and experiences that stem from that process. In addition to other ways of researching, artistic and arts-based practices are an important component in this process, and we encourage our doctoral students and researchers to try out and develop new and critical ways of knowing in their work.
The research at the department draws from and contributes to a wide international network of exceptional researchers, teachers, scholars, and students. We organize and participate in conferences, symposia, and workshops, which builds a strong basis for national and international research and publication projects. We highly value the relationships that we have built and continue to build with our partnering institutions across the globe.
Our doctoral graduates work as artists, researchers, and teachers both in public and private sector. Together with them, we continue to carry out our mission to actively create new ways to understand human and non-human life, networks and complex relationships, and the environment, culture, and society. This is not only about changing the world, but also about changing ourselves, and others, along with it.
A list of current doctoral students and their topics can be found at
https://aaltoarted.wordpress.com/doctoral-students-dept-of-art/