Contemporary Art Practice
(MA 2 Year PG Program)

Note: Applicants should apply to the MA courses if they intend to take up PGDP Finish. There is no separate application form for PGDP Finish; one can exit at the end of year 1 of MA with an award of a PG Diploma upon successfully completing the graduation requirements.

The MA Contemporary Art Practice equips students with a diverse set of transdisciplinary skills and knowledge to enable them to engage in contemporary art, cultural production, and societal issues in South Asia and abroad. The program fosters students’ artistic and humanistic sensibilities and practical expertise for careers in various arts and cultural organizations, as well as academia. The program promotes a global and historical context of art and encourages community engagement for social impact, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the arts (including contemporary art), technology, and social justice. 

The MA in Contemporary Art Practice (CAP) is rooted in making, theorizing, and researching art and cultural production in society. By working across a range of practices in the fields of fine arts including public art, performance, film, and digital humanities, students will be encouraged to explore transdisciplinary methodologies towards nurturing their own artistic and humanistic sensibilities and skills. These explorations will draw from art history, media and cultural studies, translation and literary studies, critical technology studies, and gender and sexuality studies. 

The program will prepare students for careers in arts and cultural institutions, academia, publishing, galleries, archives, and cultural platforms. It offers an exceptional opportunity to further studies in the historical, cultural, and political contexts of South Asia and its connections with the rest of the world. Through creative inquiry-based learning and community engagements, this program embodies the interconnectedness of the arts, technology, and society. 

• MA CAP will cover studios and project-based seminars connected to creative domains such as Text and Performance; Public Art; Archives and Digital Storytelling; and Image and Form-Making (including Moving Image). 
  Year 1 Focus: Exploring Theory and Practice
  Year 2 Focus: Shaping Practice 
  • Core Studios 
  • Core Seminars, Electives, and Allied Courses 
  • Research Studio and Project-based Mentorship 
  • Academic Writing 
  • Arts and Culture Collaborations 
  • Artist in Residence 
  • Knowledge Enhancement and Skill-based Workshops 
  • Culminating Performances of Understanding (Portfolio, Transdisciplinary Research, Projects, Colloquium, Capstone or Dissertation) 

Over two years, students will learn through studios, seminars, projects, and field-based pedagogies, involving leading artists, curators, scholars, and critics. Together, these pedagogies will expose them to transdisciplinary practices in making, theorizing, and researching the intersections of the arts, technology, and society. 

 The learning objective of the MA in Contemporary Art Practice program is to equip students with a diverse set of transdisciplinary skills and knowledge that enable them to engage in contemporary art, cultural production, and societal issues. This objective includes fostering artistic and humanistic sensibilities, providing inter- and transdisciplinary understandings of the relationships between art, technology and society; and developing practical skills for careers in various cultural and academic sectors. 

 The program also aims to promote a global and historical context in art and encourages community engagement for social change, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the arts, technology, and social justice. 

CAPABILITIES

The MA CAP program will nurture students’ capabilities for: 

• Public dialogue and scholarly dissemination of creative and research works. 

• Analog and digital curation of cultural objects. 

• Text- and performance-based engagements. 

• Information access and data discernment across digital media. 

• Historical inquiry through image and form-making. 

OPPORTUNITIES

There is a strong demand within the Indian and international arts communities for skilled expertise in contemporary art practices. This program responds to such a demand by nurturing professionals for careers in galleries, museums, publishing, academia, and cultural institutions. Further, by embracing transdisciplinary pedagogies, the program builds new discourse across the arts and humanities.  

 GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) Sector: Artists, curators, and researchers trained in history, art history, and cultural studies seeking to work in galleries, museums, archives, and libraries with digital humanities focus.  

 Not-for-Profit Organizations: Individuals interested in working with grant-making organizations, art foundations, and governmental and non-governmental sectors.  

 Academia: Public scholars keen on pursuing doctoral studies and publicly engaged academic careers, including art and design programs, teaching and learning centers, and centers for the humanities.   

 Publishing: Writers and artists interested in extending their practice into scholarship through publishing with diverse media and open-access platforms.  

 Independent Artistic Practice: Artists working in the visual arts, media and communications, community practices, and critical technology studies wishing to make contributions to art and design festivals and biennials. 

What is Contemporary Art Practice?

MA Contemporary Art Practice at Srishti Manipal Institute is the combination of practices in fine arts
(including public art); performance; moving image; and digital humanities. The underpinning of the arts and humanities offers the program an expansive vocabulary for theory-building, critical making, and artistic expression through visual, textual, and/or mixed media forms connected to film, archives, performance, communities, and our everyday use of digital tools and technologies.

Is this course suitable for me?

MA Contemporary Art Practice is suitable for anyone interested in building careers in and with galleries, museums, publishing, academia, and cultural institutions. This course is also ideal for individuals keen on honing their theoretical and practical skills for independent transdisciplinary artistic and cultural practices. Students with backgrounds in art and architecture, design, creative writing, and the humanities among others are strongly encouraged to apply.   

What opportunities do I have after completing this course?

MA Contemporary Art Practice is oriented to the GLAM sector, which are the Galleries, Libraries, Archives,
and Museums committed to making arts and cultural knowledge accessible to wider populations. The program’s professional promise includes practices in publishing, academia, and cultural institutions. Students of MA CAP can also further their research practice by continuing to do a PhD.