MA programme of Fine Arts

LUCA School of Arts is the only university college in Flanders exclusively dedicated to art and design. The art school combines the strengths and expertise of five renowned Flemish higher education institutions for art and design, spread across Brussels, Genk, Ghent and Leuven. Most of the programmes are taught in Dutch, but LUCA offers four full-English MA programmes on its campuses in Brussels and Leuven.

In the MA programme of Fine Arts in Brussels there are no restrictions in terms of medium or technique. All technical facilities on campus are at the disposal of students. The only imperative is the imperative of art. In practice this implies a focus on visual and conceptual finesse, productive self-questioning, and an imaginative approach to research. The student’s artistic intuition is not banned from the workfloor, but it may be critically dissected – out of respect rather than mistrust. The MFA group forms an international micro-community inside the school and, more broadly, inside the city; individual work is done in close contact with others. Student output will be framed and reframed by peers, directly and indirectly, using impulses generated in group discussions, theory seminars, guest lectures, workshops and excursions. The flourishing contemporary art scene in Brussels will act both as sounding board and medium of reception.

The Fine Arts MA programme at LUCA is aimed at critical self-reflection. Throughout the year students develop their master project in the context of theoretical and practice-related input. Through regular group evaluations and presentations, the students develop their practice to a professional level and learn to express themselves verbally to their peers, tutors and finally to an external jury.

Each student works with an individual tutor and a thesis promoter, assigned to him/her by the studio team at the beginning of the academic year. Students are expected to regularly consult them and to report about the progress of their work. The thesis is regarded as an integral part of the student’s MA project.

Next to the individual counselling, the students also attend a theory course called ‘Critical Practice’ and two elective Research Seminars. The Research Seminars form a ‘cross-over’ with the other MA departments at LUCA School of Arts.
The MA-programme also focuses on developments and activities within the contemporary art scene. Meetings are organized with artists, curators and other actors within the national and international art scene. Through these exchanges students learn to develop a critical and reflective attitude towards the field of contemporary art.