Blaise Kirschner

Blaise Kirschner is a Professor of Fine Art specializing in Moving Image at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. Their practice spans film, video installations, and expanded media, addressing socio-political, technological, and ecological themes through speculative fiction and historical reenactment. Kirschner holds a PhD in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art (2022), with research focusing on post-cinematic media and cultural critique.

Education:

• PhD Contemporary Art Practice, Royal College of Art, London (2017–2022)
• BA Fine Art, Slade School of Fine Art, London (1998–2002)

Research Interests: Kirschner’s work interrogates how contemporary crises—ecological collapse, technological mediation, and socio-political upheaval—are encoded in cultural forms. Their installations and films draw on histories of resistance, pirate economies, and speculative genres to challenge dominant narratives.

Exhibitions and Awards: Notable exhibitions include UNICA (Fluentum, Berlin, 2022) and Illiberal Arts (HKW, Berlin, 2021). A Jarman Award winner (2011), Kirschner’s works are held in collections like the British Film Institute and Arsenal Institut für Film- und Videokunst. Recent projects explore virtual reality, machinima, and decolonial critiques of technology.

Teaching and Lectures: Kirschner teaches screenwriting, critical theory, and post-cinematic practices at institutions like Goldsmiths, Karlsruhe University, and Piet Zwart Institute. Their workshops address radical materialism, queer-feminist technoscience, and navigating virtual worlds.

Awards and Grants: Recipient of TECHNE PhD Scholarship, Fluentum Art Commission, PCAI Art Commission, and multiple Arts Council grants. Their residencies include Beirut Artists’ Research Residency (Cairo, 2013) and Visual Arts Creative Development Residency (Cove, 2008).

Labs and Collaborations: Kirschner collaborates with artists, theorists, and activists on projects like Abstraction and Economy (2022) and Radical Matter (2018). Their work often intersects with curatorial ventures, including 5 Uneasy Pieces (2016) and SUPERLUX Masterclass (2017).