La recherche en art

Art research: a transdisciplinary and multiform process

Within art schools, a wide range of artistic practices invent research methodologies appropriate to the questions they raise, creating a new field of investigation and new knowledge, known as ‘art research’. The necessarily unpredictable nature of artistic creation thwarts any definition of art research prior to practical experimentation. Moreover, this reality of research precludes any subsequent systematisation, or any standardisation of procedures or methodologies. It is therefore important to put in place strategies for identifying and promoting these particular objects. Since 2014, the non-profit organisation Art-Recherche (a/r) has had the task of promoting reflection and resources linked to art research in the ESA/Écoles supérieures des arts of the FWB/Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles.

The FRArt/Fonds de la Recherche en Art is an associated fund of the F.R.S.-FNRS/Fonds national de la recherche scientifique (National Fund for Scientific Research), the aim of which is to finance art research projects carried out by artist-researchers on an individual or collective basis, outside the scope of any doctorate, and to finance artistic production. A call for applications is launched each year in June, with applications to the ESAs closing at the end of October, and projects submitted by a school to the FNRS at the end of January. Grants are awarded at the end of April, with activities starting in June and lasting between 12 and 24 months.

Practical information and details of the procedure can be found in the attached Mini-Guide and Regulations.

The contact person for research at the school is Éric Van Essche, Research Coordinator at La Cambre.