I completed an MFA program with Transart Institute for Creative Research, completing 3 residencies…read moreat their Berlin location in Berlin, and I would not recommend it.
Where to begin- first off, this is a money making scheme if I have ever seen one. Yes, they run programs, yes, there are advisors that care and are interesting, but overall they are charging way too much (somewhat less than a regular MFA in the US) while having no permanent buildings to finance.
During our graduating class, they even sent out numerous emails (through student representatives) emphasizing how they didn't "owe" students anything and hence wouldn't put on a graduating show. It turns out they didn't curate the graduating show of the previous year and were essentially ashamed of the outcome (the art shown and the way in which it was shown), and hence decided to have no public engagement between graduating students and the public. They replaced exhibits, which are common in EVERY SINGLE MFA program on the planet, with "discussions", which is just a time saving tactic to have 2 students present their work at the same time- yes, that is their official "graduating" show. Very sad and the language used was insulting considering the amount they charge and the fact that they should care about their students' work.
Which brings me to the next topic. I have personally observed advisors making fun of students' work that was different or didn't fit any particular conceptual mold- in very sneaky, pseudo-pedagogic ways. The ones praised were typically (male) artist who simply worked on very "clever" ideas that had been re-regurgitated since the 60s onwards. There is no questioning of the incredible dominance of linear, left-brain-based, contorted and financially corrupt art system that was established in those decades and how Transart could help change this.
They pride themselves on encouraging risk-taking, yet there is no indication that Transart really wants to propose anything risky. They even consider showing their students' work to the public too much of a risk to take. To add insult to injury, they had actually promised to students the rather humble graduating gift of archiving their theses with an official partner/website in the arts-- and they failed to do even that, not even bothering to notify anyone once the program was over. They had taken your money and you were long gone, so I suppose there was no need to say anything.
The workshops during the residencies are somewhat interesting, but offer very little practical tools- most of it involves reading currently "en vogue" social theory or art critique and taking it at face value- not asking how things could be interpreted in a myriad of other ways, but looking for reasons to praise the author. The possibility of fundamentally disagreeing with the often unnecessarily contorted writings presented was not even offered, creating a space that is not characterized by discourse. Again, no opening up to broader discourse and certainly no risk-taking.
The selection of the cities for residencies (in my case it was Berlin and New York) seemed simply like a marketing ploy. There was next to zero engagement with the massive art scenes these cities offer. At all times, the distinction between students and visiting lecturers or local art contacts was maintained- students are not seen as equal but have to learn how to fit into the boring and irrelevant old molds of the art hierarchy.
For a program that promises to be ground breaking, Transart did very little to move in that direction- to the contrary. This program is very expensive and I do not recommend it. Go instead to any free MFA course in any city in Europe and find people you actually want to work with. Transart was a disaster in so many ways and did not live up to its promise. I was lucky to have find additional outside advisors and communities that propelled my work in the right direction during the MFA, so I took what I could from the critiques and the handful of interesting people I met here. Transart itself though has a long way to go before they can value the process involved in art and establish a vision that is actually based on individuality and risk-taking.
When you apply for this program, it is very hard to find any honest information on it, as most of it is put out by Transart itself- there are no rankings published on the school, and it is difficult to find out anything out its reputation. They also re-branded to Transart Institute for Creative Research, presumably in part in order to avoid any association with previous negative reviews. I hope this review can help some of you- I know for a fact that I am not the only one who feels this way about this organization.
