Scholarship to Support a Master’s Thesis on the Work of Jürgen Claus
The ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe, in cooperation with donor Nora Claus, awards the Jürgen Claus Scholarship to support a Master’s thesis dedicated to the work of the artist and theorist Jürgen Claus. An amount of €10,000 is provided to fund scholarly research and the writing of the thesis.
The artist and theorist Jürgen Claus (1935–2023) left behind a visionary body of work. Engaging with themes such as ecology, planetarity, the use of solar energy, the ocean as a living environment, and the role of art in the technological age, Claus made internationally pioneering contributions to connecting art, science, and environmental consciousness. With his concept of the “electronic Bauhaus,” he opened up new perspectives for media art in the 1980s.
Since 2020, Claus’s written estate—the most significant part of his archive—has been housed at ZKM (https://zkm.de/en/juergen-claus). In addition, the ZKM Collection, with over 500 works by the artist, holds one of the largest corpora of his artistic production. Further archival holdings are located in Aachen. ZKM supports scholarship holders in preparing and conducting the relevant research.
Aim of the Scholarship
The Jürgen Claus Scholarship supports the completion of a Master’s thesis devoted to the artistic and theoretical work of Jürgen Claus. Possible areas of focus include, among others, media art, art and ecology—in particular solar art—as well as the Planet Ocean project.
Scope of Funding
The total scholarship amount is €10,000 for a maximum duration of nine months to complete the Master’s thesis.
Eligibility
Applications are open to Master’s students who:
- Are enrolled at a university in Germany or abroad in a relevant field (e.g., art history, media studies, cultural studies, STS);
- Have secured a supervisor’s commitment for their Master’s thesis.
Application Materials
- Thesis proposal (max. 1,500 words)
- Academic CV
- Proof of enrollment
- Letter of recommendation from the supervising faculty member
Selection Process
The selection is made by a panel of experts in consultation with donor Nora Claus. The evaluation will particularly consider:
- Scholarly quality and clarity of the proposal (research question, methodology);
- Appropriate positioning within the state of research;
- Feasibility within the proposed timeframe.
Obligations of Scholarship Holders
- Regular updates on project progress;
- Completion of the Master’s thesis and submission of a digital copy to ZKM;
- A public lecture at ZKM presenting the thesis results.
Application deadline: 30 November 2025
Notification: by 31 December 2025. All applicants will be informed in writing.
Application & Contact
Please send your complete application materials as a single PDF via email to:
📧 wissen@zkm.de
Contact person:
Margit Rosen
ZKM | Center for Art and Media Karlsruhe
📧 wissen@zkm.de