We are delighted that you are interested in the Bachelor's degree programme 'Art and Media' at the Institute of Art and Visual Culture. The Bachelor's degree programme in Art and Media requires an entrance examination. In order to give you an idea of the special orientation of the Oldenburg degree programme, we would like to briefly introduce it to you here and also give you some information about your application and the entrance examination.

We are interested in art in context. How is art communicated when it is spoken or written about, exhibited or depicted? Where do we encounter art? How is it integrated into social, political, historical or economic contexts?

Which media do we use and how do we use them? What significance do media have for our perception of reality?

By 'visual culture' we mean forms of visualisation that encompass far more than art - such as architecture, illustration, advertising, web design, i.e. practices that are an integral part of everyday life and science. Here, for example, we are interested in how images and audiovisual media shape our perception and idea of bodies, gender and social order.

Accordingly, the practical part of the entrance examination is not only about conceiving and realising your own forms of artistic expression, for example in the form of photographs or drawings, but also about collecting, selecting and organising images that you encounter in everyday life - whether on the Internet, in your living room, on the tram or on a flyer - from a certain point of view and presenting them together with your own work.

The theory and practice of art and visual culture are not mutually exclusive, but rather condition and permeate each other. That is why it is important for us to find out in the theoretical part of the examination how you think about artistic positions, how you put aesthetic experiences into words and how you arrive at well-founded arguments.

We assess both the practical and theoretical parts of the examination according to three criteria in line with the admissions regulations: Articulation ability, independence and reflective ability.

(More information on the Institute's teaching and research areas)

The entrance examination therefore consists of a practical and a theoretical task, which you as an applicant must work on independently and the results of which must be submitted to us, preferably digitally. More detailed information on the modalities of submission follows below.

PRACTICE TASK

1st picture: Ron Mueck: Youth, 2009/11, mixed media, 65 x 28 x 16 cm, Galerie Thaddaeus, Paris, photo: https://ropac.net/artworks/11740-ron-mueck-youth-2009-11/.

2nd picture: Sibylle Springer: Floating, 2025, acrylic, watercolour, tempera and ink on canvas, 230 x 200 cm, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025, photo: Frank Scheffka.

3rd picture: Lee Bul: Monster: Pink, 1998/2011, Fabric, cotton filling, acrylic paint, and stainless-steel frame, 210 x 210 x 180 cm, Collection of the Daegu Art Museum, photo: Jeon Byung-cheol, https://www.lehmannmaupin.com/museums-and-global-exhibitions/lee-bul-beginning.

Select one of the three linked images.

Create a collection of at least ten images for one of these pictures. At least seven of these images must be self-made. You can use the following artistic methods: Drawing, painting, print, collage, sculpture, object, installation, photography, film, performance. Three-dimensional works and performances must be documented either photographically or on film (max. 3 min.). The other parts of the image collection can, for example, be taken from films, print and online media, your everyday life or art.

Self-created works must be labelled with the following information: Name, title (or: 'Untitled'), year created, size of original, technique (e.g. acrylic on canvas, pencil or pen on paper, video, analogue photography, etc.).

Pictures not created by the artist must be labelled with the following information: Name, title, size of original if different from reproduction, source/place found (e.g. URL, flea market or 'private').

THEORY TASK

Select one of the following three tasks and write a text on it. The theoretical task must be submitted with a maximum of 8,000 characters including spaces (corresponds to approx. 3 pages).

1. watch a cinema film and write a review. This must contain a critical analysis of the film with regard to genre and staging, an examination of the aesthetic means of the film and a reflection on the framework conditions of the film viewing (e.g. cinema, DVD, streaming).

2. write an essay on a work of art that you think deals with the subject of politics. It should also briefly explain how and where you came across the image and why you selected it.

3. This is an artistic statement. In your opinion, what understanding of art is expressed in this statement? What artistic approach could result from this understanding of art?