Apply for MFA Programme in Fine Arts

Portfolio instructions for autumn 2024

Applications are invited from fine artists who want to interrogate art’s relations to publicness and the role of art and the artist in society. We may consider applicants educated in other disciplines who also want to investigate these concerns. Applicants from diverse cultural backgrounds and working with various media are welcome to apply. Please check our Facilities pages for workshop information. Applicants must want to learn how to use artistic research practices and further their writing practices to support contextualisation.

Your application must be anonymous. Do not include your name or contact details anywhere in your portfolio, texts and CV. All written material must be in English.

Your portfolio should include:  

1. CURRICULUM VITAE, CV
(2 pages maximum.)

List previous education, qualifications and relevant experience.

2. WRITTEN STATEMENT 1: ’CONTEXTUAL STATEMENT’
(3500 characters maximum, including spaces.)

Use this statement to describe and contextualise your previous work. Structure it as coherent prose and address all required points.

The ’Contextual Statement’ (referencing the work samples) must address:

Social Significance: Describe a specific problem, challenge or situation in society and explain how you addressed it. You may focus on one or more specific samples.

Media and Materials: Explain why you specifically chose the media and materials in the work samples. You may focus on one or more specific samples.

Role of the Artist: Explain your current position on your role as an artist in society and why you see it in this way.

Publicness: Explain how you have previously worked with publicness. You may focus on one or more specific samples.

Theory: Explain your existing relationship with theory and how it has informed your work samples. You may focus on one or more specific samples.

3. WRITTEN STATEMENT 2: ’STATEMENT ON FUTURE STUDY’
(4000 characters maximum, including spaces)

Use the statement to argue the relevance of this Master's programme to your future development. Structure it as coherent prose and address all required points.

The ’Statement on Future Study’ must address:

Significance: Describe the problem, challenge, or situation in society that you want to now investigate. Explain how art can be used to approach it.

Publicness and the Role of the Artist in Society: Explain why a focus on each of these is now a priority for your development.

Artistic Research: Describe what you think artistic research may involve. Explain why you want to develop and apply these skills.

4. WORK SAMPLES
(5-7 examples.)

Each may include numerous images etc. Upload any combination of video, sound, still images, text etc. Limit video/sound to a 15-minute total. Give titles, media, dimensions, and dates. If you are trained in a discipline other than Fine Art, use samples (artistic or otherwise) of previous projects relevant to this programme’s vision.

Assessment 

Applications are assessed on overall suitability to the programme’s description, education plan and modus operandi via your:

• Education, qualifications/relevant experience to study this advanced-level programme.
• Capability to study in English at advanced-level, orally and in writing.
• Significance of existing concerns to society.
• Articulation of relevance of media and materials in work samples.
• Capability to contextualise in writing.
• Intention to interrogate publicness and the role of the artist in society.
• Intention to develop research skills.
• Capability to articulate questions, challenges or problems in society for a future artistic research project

Submit your portfolio  

Submit your portfolio through our portfolio tool SlideRoom . 

SlideRoom closes at midnight (CET) on the day of deadline. When you have submitted your portfolio in time, you will receive a confirmation e-mail från SlideRoom. 

We recommend that you upload your material 24 hours before the deadline. Please note that it is not possible to submit your portfolio after the application deadline. 

Application, selection & admission  

Documentation of Bachelor’s degree and English 6 

Submit all documentation on antagning.se/universityadmissions.se that shows you fulfill the entry requirement. It is important that you submit complete documentation and follow the country specific guidelines carefully. More information: Provide application documents .

If you submit incomplete documentation you will be considered unqualified. 

Selection and admission

All complete applications are assessed by a jury consisting of the Programme Director and representatives from the department.  

The work samples are considered approved or not approved. If your work samples are not approved, you will be unqualified for the programme. A number of applicants will proceed to a personal interview. Notification whether you have been invited for an interview will be sent to the email address you have registered on universityadmisssions.se. 

Applicants who do not meet the entry requirements can be granted exemption if the department judges that the applicant has in other ways demonstrated ability to benefit from the programme. Ability to benefit from the programme can be demonstrated by:

• other relevant education
• relevant work experience or other practical experience
• relevant artistic skills and abilities