MRes Art: Exhibition Studies

Delivered in collaboration with Afterall Research Centre, MRes Art: Exhibition Studies is a postgraduate research course based at Central Saint Martins. The course examines the history of contemporary art from the perspective of the exhibition form, analysing how artworks are encountered by publics and shaped by display, discourse and critical reception. 

MRes Art: Exhibition Studies is directly tailored to individual interests and strengths, offering rigorous research training and a supportive environment for advanced study. It is led by course co-leaders David Morris, Louise Shelley and Helena Vilalta, alongside course faculty, and joined by Afterall colleagues such as Adeena Mey, Wing Chan and Elisa Adami. Recent visiting lecturers include Sepake Angiama, Jemma Desai, Charles Esche, Catalina Imizcoz, Lee Weng Choy, Filipa Ramos, ruangrupa, Veronica Tello and many others.

The Exhibition Studies pathway will introduce you to significant debates and methodological approaches in the field of contemporary art, and trace key developments in the exhibition form from the early 20th century to the present. You will gain in-depth knowledge of the history of exhibitions, as well as paying close attention to alternative articulations of the exhibition form, including curatorial practices of access, care, pedagogy, solidarity, resistance, protest and experimentation.

With an intake of around ten students per year, MRes Art: Exhibition Studies is a two-year course that offers an intimate and collaborative environment for developing an independent research-led programme of study. Throughout your studies, you will receive support through tutorials, workshops, group critiques and discussions. This will enable you to develop the critical skills necessary to interpret artistic and curatorial practice in relation to its social context, and to develop theoretically rigorous arguments about contemporary culture.

About MRes Art at Central Saint Martins
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.

MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy promotes dialogue between practitioners and theorists about art discourse today. Suited to artists and writers, this pathway explores art and the philosophy of art from a contemporary perspective, embracing major ideas and debates of the past and present. 

MRes Art: Exhibition Studies examines the history of contemporary art through key developments in the exhibition form. In addition to the selection of art and mode of address, students consider the wider social conditions and impact exhibitions can have on those who experience them.

MRes Art: Moving Image explores the rich histories, theories and aesthetics that have led artists to turn to film and video. The course pruimarily asks: what insights can a study of artists’ moving image offer us for understanding the diverse practices that now fill our art spaces?

Application deadline: April 3 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Course length: Two years (60 weeks), extended full-time. You will be expected to commit 30 hours per week to study, which includes teaching time and independent study. The course has been designed in this way to enable you to pursue studies, while also undertaking part-time employment, internships or care responsibilities.

A note to applicants from the US: University of the Arts London participates in US federal student aid programs which means that US applicants may be eligible for federal loans to help cover the cost of study.