Sculpture

The Sculpture Department encompasses artistic forms in space—from sculpture and installation to object and conceptual art, as well as performative approaches. At the core is the development of an independent artistic position, which is reflected upon both practically and theoretically. Students work with a variety of materials, forms, and spatial concepts and engage with historical and contemporary visual languages and art-theoretical discourses. Independent artistic projects form the core of learning and research. In the extensive workshops, students explore diverse technical and creative possibilities. The interdisciplinary environment of the university also provides valuable connections to other areas of specialization.

Within the Bachelor’s program + –

Sculpture broadly refers to aesthetic formations in space (sculpture, plastic art, installation, object art, conceptual art, performance). The goal of the Bachelor’s program in the Sculpture Department is to establish an independent artistic position and to enable reflection on practical as well as conceptual/theoretical engagement with sculptural questions in history, the present, and the future. Potential artistic categories include all areas of visual design—from form and color to spatial perception—along with their diverse levels of modulation. This also encompasses engagement with contemporary discourses in art theory, multiple historical and contemporary visual and formal languages, spatial and environmental relationships, sustainability, and situating one’s own artistic articulations within the specific socio-cultural context of their creation.

Students’ learning and research are structured around their own artistic development projects, with individual or collective artistic approaches emerging through the interplay of practical and conceptual work. Intensive engagement with materials and forms, as well as the acquisition of technical and creative skills for realizing artistic ideas, takes place in the HFBK Hamburg’s laboratories and workshops, such as the plaster, ceramics, plastic, wood, and metal workshops, as well as in the Digital/Material Workshop with 3D printing facilities and the Media Technology and Electronics Workshop.

Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of the program allows engagement with neighboring disciplines, enabling students to situate their artistic endeavors within this broader framework of art production. Opportunities to spend part of the program at a partner university abroad and to gain intercultural experiences and perspectives are strongly encouraged. The presentation, mediation, and discussion of artistic work can be explored in various areas of the art world and beyond, for example through projects with external partners, the HFBK Hamburg’s annual exhibitions, or the university gallery.

Accompanying courses in theory and history deepen the students’ artistic questions and experiences, providing historical and theoretical knowledge as well as methodological tools that contribute to developing a grounded understanding of both artistic self-perception and art history.

Within the Master’s program + –

The goal of the Master’s program in the Sculpture Department to consolidate an independent artistic position and to deepen the competence for critical reflection on practical and conceptual sculptural questions in history, the present, and the future.

This may include all areas of visual design, from conception to realization, from form and color to spatial perception and their diverse levels of modulation. It also encompasses engagement with contemporary discourses in art theory, multiple historical and contemporary visual and formal languages, spatial and environmental relationships, sustainability, and the situating of one’s own artistic articulations within the specific socio-cultural context of their creation.

The program is structured around students’ individual or collective artistic development projects, with the independent artistic position being deepened through the interplay of practical and conceptual work. Self-directed and autonomous exploration of artistic possibilities and the diverse technical methods is of particular importance in the Master’s program.

The presentation, mediation, and discussion of artistic work are promoted through project collaborations with museums or galleries, the annual exhibition, or exhibitions in the university gallery. Even at the Master’s level, it is possible to spend a period of study abroad at one of HFBK Hamburg’s numerous partner universities.

Courses in the Theory and History Department expand students’ artistic questions and experiences. Alongside the opportunity to engage with neighboring artistic disciplines within the inherently interdisciplinary program, they provide means to develop and refine one’s artistic self-understanding.