Studying (de)Fine Art is a call to action: Please define (and redefine) what your art is!
You will learn to define and redefine what your art can be in relation to society. Through material experimentation, questioning, research and peer-to-peer collaboration you develop ways of making and of positioning yourself in art fields of your choice.
Our BFA is officially called “Autonome Beeldende Kunst” - literally: “Autonomous Visual Art” - is a Fine Art department that we unofficially call ‘Define Art’. This to indicate that we give students the guidance and space to (re)define what their personal contemporary artistic practice could be. Our department name therefore is a verb, a (learning) process, a call to action.
During your studies you will study in education projects where different skills and content are combined. We work to develop your own research questions, becoming more and more aware of your own learning aims.
In our department, as in our academy, we work to create a learning environment that is inclusive and equal. We aim for a warm and informal contact between tutors and students and we welcome you to communicate openly with tutors and with your coach.
Self-organisation, communication, collaboration, experiment and curiosity are key.
Please note: Our department is a non-medium specific learning environment with no individual or group studios.
Open Days & Recruitment activities
Want to know more about life at the Willem de Kooning Academy?
Check out our extended programme, full of (online) activities and interaction with student ambassadors and tutors via this link.
Knowledge & skills
- Developing different forms of material-making (with a focus on process) through experimenting with various skills and media in our Stations
- Artistic research
- Communication and presentation skills
- Creating together and independently
- Collaborating with fellow artists and designers
- ...and more
Well, why is this art? Why isn't that art?
Career opportunities
- Artist / performer / writer / (artistic) researcher /
- Curator / mediator in the arts
- Social researcher using artistic means and methods
- Organiser in the cultural field
- ...and more
Most study activities take place at the Stations (Workspaces). All students, regardless of their bachelor programme or year, are welcome to work at the Stations. These are places where students can test their ideas and figure out how to turn them into fully functioning creations. They can experiment with tools, techniques, materials, and equipment, and receive support and inspiration by working with fellow students, tutors, and instructors.
For more detailed information about our Stations, please visit this webpage
Dual Degree programme
Do you have an artistic or a musical talent, as well as a hunger for academic knowledge? You can now mix arts and academia in metropolitan Rotterdam. Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), Willem de Kooning Academy (WdKA) and Codarts offer you the possibility to combine theory and practice in a five-year Dual Degree programme.
