Critical Studies is where artistic practice and critical analysis of society meet. They may seem alien to each other at first. But whereas philosophers critically analyze culture with words, politically engaged artists, designers and educators do so with objects, actions and images. During this minor you will learn how society is grounded in ideologies, norms, and beliefs, and how you can critically engage with them, in your work as an artist, designer, or educator. You will understand how power relations in society lead to an unjust distribution of wealth, social opportunities, and resources, based on economic, racial, and gender hierarchies. You will explore how you can use art, design, and education to investigate, expose and challenge these power structures. Within this minor you can focus on specific subjects such as precarity and care, inequality, decolonization, or institutional critique. You will learn and apply methods such as artistic research, reading/desk research, and action research. 

During this minor you will formulate your own goals and assignments, and develop your own working methods, using the theories and analytical tools of critical studies. The result can be an art or design object, but also a service, publication (such as artists’ books), multimedia installation, performance, exhibition (curatorship) or other type of project.   

Research Methods:   
Artistic research, reading/desk research, action research.    
   
External Partners: 
Students engage with professionals at the intersections of DIWO (Do It With Others), bottom-up, and collective work through quest lectures, collaborations, and small excursions. The program aligns with ongoing discussions in Autonomous Practices, emphasizing the meaning of autonomous creative practice. Dialogues and engagements with local organizations and self-organized practices persist, creating a comprehensive learning experience.   

Keywords:   
Autonomy, cultural emancipation, institutional critique, social justice, equality, decolonisation, critical theory, intersectionality. 

Goals:           

• Explore and delve deeper into areas of interest that intersect with one or more critical theories relevant to the identified keywords.  
• Question, address, and actively seek to redress existing hierarchies and power structures within the chosen domains.  
• Develop strategic tactics aimed at challenging established norms while engaging in the innovative and autonomous ways of doing theory through the practice of artistic research.   

Learning Outcomes: 

• You are able to produce visual work that is based on research and expresses your artistic vision. 
• You are able, through artistic research, to examine, analyse, interpret, problematise, position and evaluate your own work and work process and that of others. 
• You can maintain an active and critical attitude toward the context in which you produce and present your work. 
• You are able, in the context of a collaborative effort, to actively participate in the realisation of an artistic product or process. 
• You are able to critically examine and, in your work, expose and challenge power structures in society. 

This minor is open to WdKA students. Students from other institutes are required to send a portfolio and motivation. You will receive more information about this after you have registered for this minor. We advise students from other institutes to register at least one month before the deadline. The admission procedure takes at least two weeks. In case you are not accepted into the minor, you might need some time to register for another minor.

Deliverables:  

• Written research document (max. 2000 words). 
• Artistic project.  

Assessment:  
The written document will be individually and asynchronously assessed. The artistic component will be assessed after being presented in class.