Art: Exhibition Studies

Entry requirements

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

An honours degree or an equivalent EU/international qualification.

AP(E)L – Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

• Related academic or work experience
• The quality of the personal statement
• A strong academic or other professional reference

Or a combination of these factors.

Each application will be considered on its own merit but cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

Months of entry

September

Course content

MRes Art is made up of three specialist pathways: Theory and Philosophy; Moving Image; and Exhibition Studies. MRes Art uses research and writing to develop modes of questioning, speculative thinking and critical evaluation. Drawing upon a wealth of scholarly expertise from the staff team, visiting lecturers and practitioners, the course considers the relationship of contemporary art research to wider aesthetic, cultural and socio-political issues.  

There are opportunities for students on each pathway to come together for shared taught components. You will also be encouraged to develop student-led activities. In the past, our students have collaborated on research events and publications, as well as the annual Tate Exchange programme at Tate Modern.

MRes Art: Exhibition Studies draws on the pioneering Exhibition Histories publication series produced by Afterall. On this pathway, you will be encouraged to think of the exhibition as an entry point to the study of contemporary art. You will consider not just the selection of art, the handling of time and space or platform and modes of address, but also wider social implications of the “being in public” of artworks.

MRes Art: Exhibition Studies takes exhibitions to mean not just conventional gallery or museum shows. Instead, it considers all kinds of artistic presentations, presence and engagement, manifestos, publications, festivals and other formats through which art encounters its publics. You will research, document and critically analyse these forms. This will allow you to work on new narratives which go beyond the art-historical in order to account for the intricacies of these moments of exchange.

On this pathway, you will engage with recent debates about modern and contemporary art in the context of public presentations of art. You will also explore key concepts and critical theories in a variety of fields. The pathway asks two core questions: can we tell a different story of modern and contemporary art through its exhibitions? And, what do the histories of exhibitions tell us about the wider cultural field in which artworks are produced and made public? The aim is to develop your ability to interpret, analyse and critique a range of methods in exhibition-making. You will develop visual analysis skills through the examination of works of art as presented in exhibitions of varying form.

Information for international students

IELTS level 7.0 or above, with at least 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking (please check our main English language requirements webpage).

Fees and funding