Foundation Class

During the two-semester orientation phase - the Basisklasse Bildende Kunst - first-year students of Fine Arts and Art Education are encouraged to find out which artistic strategies suit them best. In addition to painting, sculpture, drawing and graphic art, students experiment in video, installation, intervention in public and/or virtual space, performance, sound, artist books or photography. Shared studios and an array of workshops are available for practical work.

Students develop their work in exchange with each other, during one-on-one meetings with Basisklasse teachers and in workshops led by guest artists. Students explore the field of contemporary art during excursions in Germany and abroad, through lectures and their own research. In addition to art making, presentation and mediation of one’s work are important aspects of any contemporary artistic practice. Public exhibitions at the Kunsthochschule (e.g. during the annual Rundgang – open studios) are therefore significant milestones during the first year of studies. The Basisklasse Bildende Kunst concludes with an intermediate examination, the Zwischenprüfung.