Artistic Research - Valorisation of artistic output

Photo: Ksenia Obukhova

Language of the symposium: English

Since the academisation of higher arts education, the number of artist-researchers and PhDs in the arts in Flanders has been growing, with an increasing structural embedding (journals, conferences, FWO funding for Schools of Arts). Nevertheless, the assessment of research-based artistic output (artworks as research outcomes) remains a topical debate, as it is difficult to fit within the traditional, standardised peer-review and impact models of the academic world.

To seek an answer to this, Young Academy members Kurt Bertels, Maarten Stragier and Annelies Van Assche, together with the Class of the Arts, invited the South African thinker Mario Nell to Brussels in June. As part of the 2026 Thinker's Cycle, he spent a week working with lecturers, researchers and coordinators from the Flemish art colleges and partner universities. The results will be presented for the first time at this symposium.

The aim of this Thinker's Cycle is to formulate feasible and widely supported recommendations that are both institutionally viable and have broad support within the Flemish research community, using international coordination as a lever to engage with universities and the FWO. Furthermore, the debate may provide broader inspiration for the recognition of non-standardised knowledge output in other disciplines.

With the support of the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp (AP) and ARIA (University of Antwerp), as part of ARTICULATE – artistic research festival.