معرفی
Dr. Janice McNab serves as Head of MA Artistic Research at the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK), a position she has held since 2015. She supervises all aspects of student study and is responsible for continually updating the program curriculum. As a Scottish-born painter residing in the Netherlands, Dr. McNab brings an international perspective to her academic leadership, having graduated from Glasgow School of Art in 1997 and moved to Amsterdam in 2000 on a Scottish Arts Council residency.
Her educational background includes graduation from Glasgow School of Art (1997), completion of her MFA, and a PhD from Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis at the University of Amsterdam (awarded December 2019). Prior to her current position, she taught at Glasgow School of Art, served as thesis supervisor at The Gerrit Rietveld Academy and Piet Zwart Institute, and edited for 'If I Can't Dance Publications'.
Dr. McNab's research bridges feminist art practice with art historical critique, focusing on women's relationship to art history through spectral embodiment and alternative representations. Her work explores how patterned textiles function as vessels for feminist and ecological kinship across generations. Her PhD 'The Ghost Artist' proposes a history of women's art practice where spectral embodiment replaces naturalistic body portrayals, examining how self-portrayal exists 'on the edges of visibility' to resist objectifying surface values.
Her scholarly trajectory moves from case studies of individual artists like Alice Neel to developing broader theoretical frameworks about women's relationship to art history, culminating in comparative analyses of major figures like Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian. This progression reflects her evolving approach from specific examinations to comprehensive theoretical frameworks that challenge traditional art historical narratives.
Her notable achievements include:
- 2022-23 Fellow of the WISC, The Women's International Study Centre in Santa Fe
- Paul Brach Visiting Artist to Cal Arts, Los Angeles (2021-22)
- Visiting Artist to Die Universität Angewandte Kunst, Vienna (2022)
As Head of MA Artistic Research, Dr. McNab supervises graduate students through their artistic research projects while maintaining her own internationally exhibited artistic practice. She has been vocal about cultural issues including the Zwarte Piet tradition in the Netherlands, which she describes as 'dehumanising, open racism' that 're-enacts the power relations of the plantation.' She advocates for diverse cultural perspectives in art education, noting how discussions about colonialism differ significantly between European and Japanese contexts.
Dr. McNab's paintings have been exhibited internationally at venues including Tramway (Glasgow), The Essl Collection (Vienna), The Prague Biennial, Mois de la Photo (Montreal), Talbot Rice Gallery (Edinburgh), De Vleeshal (Middelburg), BAK (Utrecht), Gallery of Modern Art (Glasgow), Museum am Ostwall (Dortmund), and Kunsthaus Baselland (Basel). She is represented by Galeria Fermay in Palma de Mallorca, maintaining an active presence in the contemporary art world alongside her academic responsibilities.
