Fine Art

There is a burgeoning interest in the UK in undertaking research degrees in Fine Art. This is a relatively new development within Fine Art education. At Middlesex University the prospective Fine Art researcher may elect from a number of Research Degree options and modes of study. These include PhD and MPhil by thesis and project. Additionally, it is possible to opt to enrol for a D Arts or M Arts research degree (Doctor of Arts and Master of Arts) where a greater emphasis is placed on professional practice. These research degrees were designed with the professional practitioner in mind. All research degrees may be pursued on a Full-time or Part-time mode of study. It is possible to move from Full-time to Part-time study and vice-versa as circumstances dictate.

Fine Art is housed within the School of Arts and Education at Middlesex University. Over recent years we have established a buoyant Fine Art research culture. The area benefits from a distinguished group of Research Staff who collectively have extensive experience as supervisors and examiners of research degrees. As a group, we strongly advocate that Fine Art practice constitutes a form of knowledge production and support the notion that practice is a form of thetic material capable of extending, challenging and interrogating more conventional forms of knowledge production. Particular research strengths stem from a long-standing Departmental interest in notions of Cultural Difference, Politics and Identity as represented and contested through Fine Art practice. These approaches to Difference include Transcultural Studies, Gender Studies, Queer Studies and the relationship between Art, Aesthetics and Ethics. These areas reflect the personal research interests and expertise of supervisors and current researchers. A strong ethos of collaboration at all levels is promoted and supported by the Fine Art area.

The continued development of this culture depends greatly on the commitment of our research students to this collective enterprise and to a serious investment in dialogic modes of learning through seminar discussion, research presentation and exhibition of work. Current registered students bring a strong international identity to the research group and include researchers from Armenia, South Korea, UK, USA, Greece, Kurdistan, Croatia and Malaysia.

Additional information can be found at the following links:

For further information, contact Jim Mooney (Reader in the Theory and Practice of Fine Art).