Advanced art education is in the process of developing research programs throughout Europe. What does the term research actually means in the practice of art? What is the relation to the scientific methods of alpha, beta or gamma sciences, directed toward knowledge production and the development of a certain scientific domaine? What will be the influence of scientific research on the art forms?

Delves into issues such as knowledge production, artistic thinking, medium-specificity, and context-responsiveness. How do these issues connect to the current state of art education and artistic research? A starting point for the publication is a series of curatorial projects by Henk Slager in various parts of the world: 'Flash Cube' (Leeum Seoul 2007), 'Trans Local Motion' (Shanghai Biennale 2008), 'Nameless Science' (Apexart New York 2009), 'As the Academy Turns' (Manifesta 2010), 'Any Medium Whatever' (Venice Biennale 2011), 'Doing Research' (Documenta 2012), 'Offside Effect'(Tbilisi Triennial 2012), 'Joyful Wisdom' (Istanbul Biennale 2013), and Aesthetic Jam (Taipei Biennale 2014). The author argues that artistic research should foreshadow a gaya scienza: a temporary autonomous activity where intellectual pleasure and an experimental method invigorate forms of research and thought.

A reformed art thief and an Italian police detective must work together to escape a deadly international conspiracy in this action-packed thriller. In Rome, the Eternal City . . . three shocking homicides occur in three days—each a grisly re-creation of a painting by one of the most revered artistic giants of all time. But this new “artist” works in blood, not oils . . . A reformed art thief on assignment for the FBI, Tom Kirk is in a Las Vegas casino with $20 million to purchase a Caravaggio masterpiece unseen for nearly half a century—a transaction that’s brutally cut short by gunfire. A shattering assassination rocks Kirk’s world, plunging him and unorthodox Italian detective Allegra Damico into an international web of evil that encompasses the Church, politicians, the police, and the Mafia. The road Kirk and Allegra must now follow is twisting and treacherous, winding through Vatican secrets, blood oaths, and Swiss betrayals. And death surely waits at the end. Praise for The Geneva Deception “Tom Kirk is the new James Bond—no doubt about it—the book simply roars along like a Formula 1 grand prix, with thrills and spills at every corner, every bend, every curve.” —Books Monthly “A cleverly written, fast-paced book. . . . A most enjoyable read and an ideal book to curl up on the sofa with.” —Eurocrime