Dear applicant!

We are delighted that you are interested in the Bachelor's degree programme 'Art and Media' at the Institute of Art and Visual Culture. Admission to the Bachelor's degree programme in Art and Media involves an entrance examination. 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 and 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 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 implementing 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.

In both the practical and theoretical parts of the exam, we assess according to the admissions regulations(PDF) based on three criteria: 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 by post (see address below).

PRACTICAL TASK

1st picture: ALBERS

2nd picture: LONG

3rd picture: NASA

Select one of the three linked images.

Create a collection of at least ten images for one of these pictures. At least five of your images must be self-made. You can use the following media: Drawing, painting, print, collage, sculpture, object, installation, photography, film, performance. Three-dimensional works and performances must be documented either photographically or on film in the form of an enclosed DVD (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.

The collection should not exceed DIN A4 format.

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

Pictures that you have not created yourself must be labelled on the back with the following information: name, title, size of the original if it differs from the reproduction, source/location (e.g. URL, flea market or 'private')

THEORY TASK

Select one of the following three tasks and create a text for it. The theoretical task must be submitted in paper format (DIN A4) with a maximum of 8,000 characters including spaces (corresponds to approx. 3 pages).

1. please write a review of a film. This should contain your own observations and reasoned arguments about the film and the location of the screening. Please address what you saw AND heard in your review. It is recommended that you exchange views with other viewers, but please make their views/opinions known. You can attend a screening at the cinema or a screening at a film festival or museum.

2) Write an essay about a work of art that you think deals with the subject of politics.

3. what understanding of art do you think characterises this statement by an artist? What artistic forms could be derived from this text?

Important to note:

The examination papers (theoretical and practical),
the application form (can be found here) and
the curriculum vitae in tabular form

must be sent in duplicate (reproductions/copies). Please refrain from sending originals, as we are unfortunately unable to return the examination papers.

We do not need your Abitur certificate; you must present this to the Admissions office when you enrol!

Your application must be sent by 1 June - postmark date of receipt - (no registered post please!) of the year of admission to:

Examining Board for the Art and Media (BA) entrance examination
School III - School of Linguistics and Cultural Studies
University of Oldenburg
Ammerländer Heerstr. 114 - 118
26129-Oldenburg