Fine Arts

The application period for Master’s Degree Programmes has ended 15 Feb 2012. Next application period will start at the beginning of 2013. 

Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.*

The Master’s Degree Programme in Fine Arts prepares students to be contemporary artists. The extent of the studies is 120 ECTS credits, two years of study. The programme started in 1994 under the name PALLAS Master of Arts programme in Fine Arts. The programme has a social emphasis; understanding the surrounding society is as important as studies in art history and theory. Art is not a retreat from the world, but a form of understanding and changing the world.

Applicants do not have to consider themselves as social or political artists. The programme is open to everyone, regardless of their form of expression, school of thought or world view, but it always views art as a philosophical and political phenomenon and a part of society – not as a separate refuge for “pure aesthetics”.

The central principle behind the Master’s Degree Programme in Fine Arts is the interaction between art and  science, and between fine art, design and visual culture. The programme’s location in a multidisciplinary art and science university allows for this interaction and diversity in a way that is unique for Finland and fairly rare in the whole world. Links to other art and design professions represented at the School of Art and Design (e.g. new media, photography, graphic design, ceramic and glass design, textile art and design, scenography, spatial design, industrial design) and now also at the Aalto University, provide students of the Master’s Degree Programme in Fine Arts with opportunities for understanding the artist’s profession in a much broader context than before. Unlike traditional fine art education, the programme is not tied to a specific medium; instead, it centres around research orientation and social activity. In addition to using traditional methods, students are encouraged to develop forms of artwork that are topical in contemporary and future art, and unattainable through traditional fine art education.

*Kunst ist nicht ein Spiegel, den man der Wirklichkeit vorhaelt, sondern ein Hammer, mit dem man sie gestaltet.

Art is not a mirror to reflect reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.

—Bertolt Brecht

Selection Process 2012

Portfolio
It is recommended that the portfolio for the Master's Degree Programme in Fine Arts in Applicant selection 2012 is submitted in a digital format, for example as a PDF file on a CD or DVD disc. The applicant’s name and the word "portfolio" should be written clearly on the disc.

Also see general portfolio instructions.

Required Application Documents
See Required Application Documents.

How to Apply
Read the application instructions carefully: How to Apply.