FULL SPECTRUM CURATORSHIP PROGRAMME 2026
IMPAKT [Centre for Media Culture] invites emerging and aspiring curators with an interest in media art, digital culture, and the intersection of technology and society to apply for the Full Spectrum Curatorship Programme.
Artistic practices are increasingly shaped by networks, algorithms, and hybrid forms of experience. In turn, curators operate within a cultural landscape in flux, reimagining how art can be encountered and contextualised. The Full Spectrum Curatorship aims to bridge theoretical knowledge with the practical dimensions of curating media art and contemporary art in relation to digital technologies and online environments. As one of the leading platforms for media art in the Netherlands, IMPAKT offers recent graduates and early- and mid-career curators the opportunity to develop their own curatorial project proposal under expert guidance. The programme draws on the experience of internationally recognised curators, guest speakers, and IMPAKT’s extensive archive and contemporary critical programming.
Taking place in Utrecht from September to December 2026, the fourth edition of Full Spectrum combines collective sessions, personal mentorship, guest contributions, and peer exchange. Participants will be paired with curator mentors to develop a curatorial proposal and receive support in refining and positioning their ideas. Mentors will present their own curatorial practices, collective sessions will allow for peer dialogue, and guest speakers working across curating and cultural production will contribute additional perspectives on the field.
The training programme will include discussions on the history, theory, contextualisation, organisation, and execution of media art-related programmes. It will cover the development of curatorial concepts, critical and societal contextualisation, artwork selection, budgets and funding, audience reception, and presentation formats. The focus will be on time-based media, with specific attention to technological history and change, logistical considerations, and the challenges and opportunities presented by multi-channel and interactive presentation formats.
Participants will become part of a cohort of fellow emerging curators, creating a space for exchange, experimentation, and shared reflection throughout the process. By the end of the programme, participants will have developed a solid curatorial project proposal that can serve as a foundation for future collaborations, exhibitions, and funding applications.
The final list of confirmed curator mentors is:
- Annet Dekker
- Bart Rutten
- Ine Gevers
- Paulien Dresscher
- Doreen A. Ríos (online)
- Eva Fischer (online)
Recent graduates, as well as aspiring and emerging curators, are invited to apply. Participants are expected to attend all sessions, including those in which fellow participants present and discuss their projects. Alongside the collective sessions, participants will take part in mentor sessions, either individually or in duos. The programme requires a minimum commitment of 8 hours per week, including preparation, research, and independent work.
Please note that this curatorship is for NL-based participants and that all sessions will be held in English. Make sure to check the programme schedule below. Participants must be physically present at all in-person sessions. The fee for participation is €400. During the final phase of the programme, participants will receive an €800 stipend to support the preparation of their final project proposal.
To apply, complete the questions in the online application form by 23:59 (CET), 7 July 2026.
Your submitted application should also include:
- A project proposal for development over the course of the programme with a clear conceptual statement and approach, your personal interest in the topic or process, a brief description of the historical and societal context of the subject, and suggestions for potential artists to include, if any. (max. 2 pages)
- An up-to-date resume/CV (max. 2 pages). You may include links to past projects in this document.
Evaluation will be based on your motivation, relevance of the programme to your personal and professional goals, your experience and interest in the media arts, clarity and criticality of your project proposal concerning a specific theme or topic, and the originality of your perspective and approach. We will select 12 participants. We aim to notify successful applicants by the 16th of July 2026.
See here for information about the previous edition. If you have further questions, please contact the programme coordinator via mita@impakt.nl.
Programme Schedule
Please note that this schedule may be subject to changes.
Saturday 29 August 2026 — Introductory Session
11:00–15:10, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Tuesday 1 September 2026 — International Mentor Presentations
19:00–20:30, online (Zoom)
Saturday 5 September 2026 — Netherlands-Based Mentor Presentations
14:00–16:00, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Tuesday 29 September 2026 — Guest Class with Janez Fakin Janša (Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art) 19:00–21:00, online (Zoom)
Saturday 24 October 2026 — Group Project Session #1
15:00–17:00, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Saturday 31 October 2026 — Guest Class with Geert Lovink (Institute of Network Cultures) 15:00–17:00, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Saturday 7 November 2026 — Topic Session: Practicalities & Production and Funding & Budgeting
14:00–17:00, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Saturday 21 November 2026 — Group Project Session #2
15:00–17:00, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Thursday 10 December 2026 — Final Presentations #1
19:00–21:30, online (Zoom)
Friday 11 December 2026 — Final Presentations #2
10:00–12:30, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
Saturday 12 December 2026 — Final Presentations #3
15:00–17:30, IMPAKT (Utrecht)
In addition to the collective sessions above, participants will take part in three smaller (1-1 or 2-1) mentor sessions throughout the programme. These sessions will be scheduled in consultation with mentors and participants.
Guest Speaker: Valentina Tanni
Tuesday 29th September 19:00 – 21:00 (CEST) online on Zoom
The session will focus on Valentina Tanni’s curatorial activity, which has always moved between physical and online spaces. Case studies range from her first exhibitions in 2002–2003, dedicated to net art and game art – where the challenge was bringing online works into a physical gallery – to her work with Fotografia Festival on the relationship between photography and new media, and on to fully online projects such as Arte-19 | Virus Virtual Reality Game, staged on VR platforms during the pandemic, and Art Layers, a group show made entirely of artist-designed Instagram filters. A recurring thread throughout is her long-standing interest in amateur culture, explored in projects like Don’t Watch If You Dislike and Eternal September – The Rise of Amateur Culture. Curating, in this context, is treated not just as a form of display but as a research methodology in itself – an approach also reflected in The Great Wall of Memes, her long-running archive tracing how images circulate, get remixed, and take on new meaning online.
She has curated several exhibitions, both offline and online, all centered on the artistic use of digital technologies.
Guest Speaker: Geert Lovink
Saturday 31st October 15:00 – 17:00 at IMPAKT
Let’s talk about ‘technological sadness’, the default mental state of the online billions. What happens when nothing can motivate you anymore, when all the self-optimization techniques fail and you begin to carefully avoid these forms of emotional analytics? Compared to others your ranking is low – and this makes you sad. The mental state of internet users remains tragic. We are stuck on the platform, with no end in sight. Instead of empowerment, liberation and self-organisation, we’ve ended up in doom-scrolling, What is your copium? Why am I waiting for an answer? The ‘behavioral modification’ (also known as ‘nudging’) with the aim to keep users coming back to the app, in a reflex, 24/7, exposing us to even more personalized ads. Instead of empowerment and diversity we witness a ‘chilling effect’ of reactionary conformism, resulting in structural violence, anger and despair, depression and loneliness.
Geert Lovink is a Dutch media theorist, internet critic, and author whose work focuses on the cultural, political, and psychological effects of digital platforms and networked media. In 2004, he founded the Institute of Network Cultures, a research centre dedicated to exploring, documenting, and feeding the potential for socio-economical change of the new media field through events, publications and open dialogue. His practice combines research, writing, and public programming through publications, events, and collaborative projects. His recent books include Sad by Design (2019), Stuck on the Platform (2022), and Platform Brutality (2025).
Get to know the Mentors
Annet Dekker
Annet Dekker is an independent curator and researcher working at the intersections of media art, digital culture, archives, and preservation. She is Associate Professor in Comparative Cultural Analysis and coordinator of the Dual Master Archival and Information Studies (Media Studies) at the University of Amsterdam, and co-director of the Centre for the Study of the Networked Image at London South Bank University. Previously, she worked as curator at the Netherlands Media Art Institute and as web curator for SKOR, alongside roles at the Nieuwe Instituut, Tate, and Piet Zwart Institute. Her research and publications focus on the conservation, circulation, and institutional histories of digital and networked art.
Bart Rutten
Bart Rutten has been Artistic Director of the Centraal Museum Utrecht since 2017, where he is responsible for the museum’s artistic vision, exhibition programme, and collection policy. Since his arrival, the museum has strengthened its focus on contemporary art (especially video art) and developed a more inclusive approach to exhibitions and collecting. Previously, he was Head of Collections at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, where he curated exhibitions including The Oasis of Matisse (2015) and Kazimir Malevich and the Russian Avant-Garde (2013). Earlier in his career, he worked at the Stedelijk Museum ’s-Hertogenbosch and the Netherlands Media Art Institute. Alongside his curatorial work, he regularly contributes to advisory committees and public discussions on contemporary art and museum practice.
Ine Gevers
Ine Gevers is a curator, writer, and activist whose work explores the intersections of art, technology, ecology, and social justice. She is the artistic director of the Niet Normaal Foundation, through which her exhibitions and public programmes engage with urgent contemporary themes including neurodiversity, climate change, and the societal impact of technology. Her curatorial practice is known for creating immersive and participatory experiences that challenge dominant narratives and foreground questions of interdependence, inclusivity, and more-than-human relations.
Paulien Dresscher
Paulien Dresscher is an Amsterdam-based independent curator, researcher, and advisor working at the intersection of culture and digital media. She works with clients and partners such as PublicSpaces, the Nederlands Film Festival, CIIIC, the Rathenau Institute, Waag Futurelab, the Institute for Sound and Vision, and Into the Great Wide Open. She holds degrees in Media, Fine Arts, and Media Studies from Minerva Art Academy and the University of Amsterdam. Paulien serves on the boards of The Hmm and Noorderlicht Festival.
Doreen A. Ríos (online)
Doreen A. Ríos is a curator and researcher based in Toluca, Mexico, working across digital art, post-digital practices, and new materialities. She is the founder of [ANTI]MATERIA,an online platform dedicated to the critical study and exhibition of technology in Latin American art, and previously served as chief curator of the Centro de Cultura Digital in Mexico City. Her curatorial and research practice bridges exhibition-making, publishing, and academic work, including her book Unstable Media: On Technical Objects and Art (2025). She worked as Advisor of Advanced Technologies at KADIST and is currently a PhD candidate at the University of California San Diego.
Eva Fischer (online)
Eva Fischer is an independent curator, festival director, and lecturer based in Vienna, Austria, working across post-digital art, experimental media, and art&technology practices. She is the director of the media art festival Civa – Contemporary Immersive Virtual Art, and previously founded and led sound:frame – Festival for Audiovisual Art, as well as heading production for Diagonale – Festival of Austrian Film. Her curatorial work spans international exhibitions and festivals including Belvedere21, MAK Vienna, Künstlerhaus Vienna, and TodaysArt. She also teaches immersive and experimental media practices at several Austrian universities.
