Alexandra Sheherazade Salem - photo HEAD-Laura Spozio
Work.Master aims to continuously encourage individual artistic practices across different media by making use of the diverse resources including studio work, experimental and collaborative projects. Practices are also questioned and tested through a variety of formats that range from autonomous projects set up by students, one-on-one sessions with tutors, group discussions with peers, annual juries in which the works are provided with feedback from groups that include external guests to, ultimately, the Grand Tour—the graduation exhibition of the whole Department of Visual Arts of Geneva’s School of Art and Design.
Lola Hauser - photo HEAD-Laura Spozio
The Work.Master programme —part of HEAD Genève’s Visual Arts Department—is an international bilingual (English and French), two-year Master of Fine Arts programme devoted to multi-disciplinary, studio-based, contemporary artistic practices.
As an incessantly evolving programme, Work.Master dares to take risks and proposes diverse formats which encourage experiment, exchange, and sharing, in order to challenge and develop the participants’ practice over the course of two years. As well as to reflect on the changing conditions of the arts with an increasing emphasis on diversity, post- and de-colonial discourses, climate change and rapidly changing technologies.
Maria Fernanda Ordoñez Pinzon - photo HEAD-Laura Spozio
In the academic year 2023/24 the Work.Master will focus on three topical themes: Decolonising Identities, Cybercultures, and Ecological Emergencies. Within each of those the participants are at liberty to choose from an offer of practice-oriented and research-oriented courses: labzones and thinkzones.
Through laboratory-likeworkshops the participants work with artists—and frequently in collaboration with local and international institutions, independent spaces, and artists—in a range of formats that include critical sessions, publications and print editions, three-dimensional works, performances, and community events.
Theory can be a form of practice that also allows for investigating and challenging one’s position. Working with artists and researchers from different backgrounds the program participants are invited to consider what it means to be human with regards to technology, environment, image and identity production.
Yul Tomatala - photo HEAD-Laura Spozio
Up to date the faculty has included, amongst others: Marie Angeletti, Marie-laure Allain Bonilla, Mabe Bethonico, Giulia Bini, Pauline Boudry, Mathieu Copeland, Vaginal Davis, Emilie Ding, Bastien Gachet, Anthea Hamilton, Jill Gasparina, Jeanne Graff, Fabrice Gygi, Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, Sonia Kacem, Morag Keil, Christophe Kihm, Krzysztof Kosciuczuk, Donna Kukama, Emmanuelle Lainé, Clovis Maillet, Reba Maybury, Laure Marville, Marlie Mul, Ileana Parvu, Aurélie Pétrel, Mai-Thu Perret, Emmanuelle Pireyre, Lili Reynaud Dewar, Olga Rozenblum, Laurent Schmid, Mårten Spångberg, Niels Trannois, David Zerbib.
