Content and structure

Course content.  

The master’s programme in Art:ificial Studies prepares you for a career in the multifaceted field of fine art. In your coursework, you study the interplay between artistic and technological developments. You strengthen your reflective, analytical, and conceptual thinking skills and sharpen the profile of your individual or collective artistic practice, which relates to new technologies. You define a personal stance of critical evaluation and open-ended experimentation that lends distinctive form to knowledge and aesthetics. You present your artistic work in a variety of public contexts. In addition to pursuing your personal or collaborative practice in our studios, participating in seminars and group critiques as well as excursions in Switzerland and abroad are part of your full-time programme of study. In dialogue with the international faculty and guests , you strengthen your network in the field of contemporary art. 

Course structure. 

Based on your artistic interests and proficiencies, you largely design your own programme of studies; courses are taught in block weeks. The community of students, teachers, and visiting scholars and artists supports you on your path by engaging you in a sustained exchange of ideas. 

The practice module (semesters 1–4) is the core of your studies. Students’ individual and collaborative work is set in the context of a critical engagement with artistic and research approaches as well as contemporary discourses in art, technology, culture, and society. A key focus is on the critical self-evaluation of your artistic practice in collaboration with partners from within and outside the university. You also dedicate attention to questions of exhibiting and publicizing art. 

You expand your expert knowledge and skills by drawing on the wide-ranging offering of modules in the “Context & Technology” area (semesters 1–4). These modules introduce you to historic and contemporary practices as well as positions and discourses around the interface between art and technology. Their objective is to help you develop a critical understanding of the field of emerging technologies like AI as well as artistic strategies to address them. 

To complete your degree, you develop a written master’s thesis and a work of art for presentation in the diploma exhibition.

Skills acquired in the course. 

  • Self-directed consolidation, expansion, contextualization, and presentation of your artistic practice with relation to emerging technologies/AI 
  • Positioning your own practice in the field of art and culture 
  • Proficient communication and presentation of your artistic practice in English 
  • Expansion of your own network, with contacts to relevant international actors 
  • Independent and/or joint work in inter- and transdisciplinary collaborative settings 
  • Understanding how to chart and define an economic position in the art and new technologies/AI contexts 
  • Preparing for an independent role in the field of art and culture and/or a potential academic career by pursuing a PhD 
  • Understanding the potentials and risks of cutting-edge technological developments and the responsibilities associated with using your pertinent expertise

Entry requirements. 

You are an artist and hold a bachelor’s degree in fine arts or an art-adjacent field. Having gained initial experience in exhibiting your work or other professional activities in the field of art and culture or a technology-related area, you are interested in a collaborative exchange of experiences and knowledge with international students, teachers, visiting artists and scholars. You are also prepared to subject your own artistic thinking and actions to critical interrogation. 

You bring along: 

  • An affinity to reflect issues in their broader context as well as a marked interest in innovative technologies and technological developments 
  • Curiosity and initiative 
  • An independent mindset in your work

Benefits of studying at ZHdK.

Our students choose the master’s programme with a major in Art:ificial Studies at ZHdK for the following reasons: 

  • The major stands out for its broad-based orientation and is supported by a network of artists, curators, and art theorists and critics active in Switzerland and abroad who contribute their expertise to the programme. 
  • The thematic conjunction of art and technology in a programme in fine arts is unique in Switzerland. 
  • The student body unites people from widely diverse national and cultural backgrounds. 
  • Artists work together across disciplines. 
  • Classes in English promote your language proficiency. 
  • Our practice-oriented major promotes opportunities to exhibit work at ZHdK and beyond. 
  • The major in Art:ificial Studies works closely with researchers and the PhD programme in Fine Arts at ZHdK 
  • Our programme nurtures a broader understanding of how artists define their practices between studio, self-organization, collaborative settings, and knowledge production. 
  • Zurich is one of the world’s premier destinations for people working in the arts and technology. Renowned museums, galleries, art collections, and a vital independent scene define city life, as do tech start-ups and global IT companies.