The discipline of Fine Arts is intended for students who wish to involve themselves as practitioners in the visual arts or related fields. At UNSW, the study of this discipline is through the Faculty of Art and Design at Paddington.

Major areas of study within Fine Arts are: drawing, interactive media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture performance & installation, and textiles.

Drawing: Students in the Drawing stream explore the conceptual and expressive potential of ‘mark making’ in its varied interdisciplinary contexts. Students undertake a range of projects in which traditional and experimental drawing methods and materials are applied to seeing, imaging and imagining the world. By fostering an understanding of formal, historical and theoretical issues relating to contemporary art, students are enabled to enhance their visual awareness and individual creative practices.

Interactive Media: Students in the Interactive Media stream explore the creation of rich electronically mediated experiences that operate at a human scale. They explore how interactivity can be utilized to enhance the experience of a work, and how technology can be put into service to create dynamic and responsive environments and objects. Students will work with sensing technologies for controlling audio, visual and/or mechatronic systems, allowing the development of original interactive art and design works, using off-the-shelf components/systems.

Painting: Students in the Painting stream explore painting as material, process, object, concept and discourse, in order to develop an understanding of painting within the context of contemporary art. Students are introduced to the conventions of easel painting and beyond, and are encouraged to experiment with contemporary approaches. Beginning with themes such as materiality, technology, the body, space, time and place, students work towards developing their own areas of interest and focus for professional and independent contemporary art practices and postgraduate research.

Photography: Students in the Photography stream are equipped with diverse and transferable photographic skills, supporting them to become artists and innovators within the field of contemporary art and/or creative media industries. The stream fosters exploration and experimentation in a variety of conceptual and technical approaches to photography, such as traditional analogue processes, high-end digital imaging production and expanded photo-practices. Students are encouraged to develop creative, professional and independent practices through specialist knowledge of photography’s multiple meanings and applications.

Printmaking: Students in the Printmaking stream will acquire a strong technical foundation in both traditional and contemporary print methods, including digital imaging, etching, lithography, relief printing, and screen-printing. Printmaking students use collaborative enquiry, analysis, critique and reflection to generate innovative ideas and interdisciplinary experimentation, equipping them as skilled and conceptually relevant contemporary artists.

Sculpture, Performance & Installation: Students in the Sculpture, Performance and Installation (SPI) stream engage in contemporary art making from the broadest of definitions, exploring every possible approach, supported by training in traditional sculptural processes, new media and emerging technologies. Challenging project work exposes students to concepts addressing our shifting social landscapes and contemporary meta-narratives. Students are supported to use initiative, develop leadership skills, and actively contribute to creative communities, preparing for vocations in a wide range of artistic practices and postgraduate studies.

Textiles: Students in the Textiles stream create innovative and contemporary designs for textiles. They work with traditional and experimental materials, structures and new technologies. Students in this studio understand contexts for designing; how to develop innovative concepts; the narrative role textiles play in reflecting and documenting contemporary society; and the social, sustainable, re-use and environmental issues associated with textiles practice.


Studying Fine Arts at UNSW

UNSW Art & Design offers the following undergraduate programs in Fine Arts.