The AARTSS Lab

Mission

We bring together interdisciplinary perspectives to explore the dynamic relationship between art and society. Our research delves into how social and cultural contexts shape artistic creation and audience responses to art. At the same time, we view artworks as cultural artifacts capable of challenging preconceptions and study how they transform our worldviews. Using diverse methods—including lab and field experiments, interviews, and big data analyses—we tackle societal challenges through the lens of art. Our mission is to bridge the gap between the social sciences and the arts by fostering collaborations with artists, museums, and cultural institutions. We are based in the Psychology Department at the University of Amsterdam, with generous support from national and international funding agencies.