Highlights Cultural AnalysisHighlights Cultural Analysis

A joint initiative by ZHdK’s Department of Cultural Analysis and the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zurich, the Centre for Arts and Cultural Theory (Zentrum Künste und Kulturtheorie), ZKK, is a scientific and artistic network of researchers and artists aiming at stimulating joint research and teaching between the two institutions. 

Since its founding, ZKK has hosted a large variety of events, workshops and symposia and has brought distinguished international guests to Zurich. One of these events was ZHdK’s International Day 2025 which was held in collaboration with ZHdK’s International Affairs Office. For the event in Spring they welcomed artist and video essayist Ursula Biemann and Professor David Wengrow, archaeologist and co-author of the international bestseller ‘The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity’. Under the headline ‘Escape Artists. How to Change Human History’ Professor Wengrow talked about his work which has challenged commonly reproduced standard versions of human history as well as our historical understanding of human social freedoms. Ursula Biemann presented her upcoming work ‘Dialogues with the Future’, which addresses the influence of Native American thought on the European Enlightenment and alludes to Graeber and Wengrow's discussion on the historical significance of ‘indigenous critique’ of European societies. The event was moderated by Anselm Franke, Professor of Curatorial Studies (ZHdK), and Judith Siegmund, Professor of Philosophical Aesthetics (ZHdK) and Co-Director of ZKK.  
 

In November 2024, a delegation from the Department of Cultural Analysis- consisting of Professor Florian Dombois and lecturers Claudia Schmid and Thomas Schärer-boarded the night train to Budapest for a three-day visit of Hungary’s two major Art and Design Universities as well as the Academy of Fine Arts in Prague, Czech Republic. While ZHdK has been fostering relations with the two Art Academies in Budapest and Prague in the past years, the contact to Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design (MOME) in Budapest was initiated recently. The intention of the visit was therefore to build upon existing relations as well as to create opportunities for encounters and professional exchange. 

The delegation was particularly interested in exploring the structural and conceptual parallels between the classical academy model and contemporary, transdisciplinary teaching and research approaches. All three institutions—despite notable differences—are undergoing generational and conceptual changes marked by the cultural and historical echoes of the Iron Curtain. Visits to workshops, studios, and exhibitions, as well as conversations with faculty and students across all institutions, proved to be stimulating and creatively enriching. 

In May 2025, ZHdK welcomed a three-member delegation from MOME for a return visit. The guests gained insights into various areas of the Department of Cultural Analysis and exchanged on teaching methods and strategic development goals. Both parties expressed a mutual interest to further relations.