Porträt of Dr. Andreas Vogel in the Lichthof of Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG Karlsruhe), Photo: Karolina Sobel, Media Art Department of HfG Karlsruhe (© HfG Karlsruhe)
Press Release - Karlsruhe, 30. März 2026
Dr. Andreas Vogel takes office as president of the HfG Karlsruhe
Dr. Andreas Vogel will assume the office of Rector of the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) on April 1, 2026. He had already been elected by the Senate and the University Council of the HfG Karlsruhe on October 2, 2025, receiving the required majority in both bodies. His inauguration marks the beginning of a new chapter in the university’s leadership.
“I am very pleased that the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design has been able to appoint Dr. Andreas Vogel as its new Rector. With his many years of experience in university administration, teaching, and research, as well as in curatorial practice, he has everything it takes to further strengthen the university’s artistic and academic profile and make it fit for the future,” said Petra Olschowski, Minister of Science, Research, and the Arts.
Dr. Andreas Vogel studied art history, German language and literature, and urban planning in Konstanz and Bonn, and earned his doctorate in 1997 from the University of Jena. After holding positions at various museums and serving as a curator at the Kunstverein Konstanz, he worked at the F+F School of Art and Media Design in Zurich from 2001 to 2015. There, as a member of the school administration, he initially headed the introductory design course, served as a lecturer in art history and theory as part of the faculty, and was ultimately appointed executive rector in 2010. From 2015 to 2021, he served on the executive board of the Bern University of the Arts, where he was responsible for the Department of Design and Art. Since 2021, he has served as director of the Department of Cultural Analysis and Mediation and as a member of the university administration at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).
In addition to his university work, Dr. Vogel was active as a curator, cultural organizer, and author of publications on architecture, art in public spaces, and contemporary art. Among other roles, he served as a member of the City of Zurich’s Art Commission (2006–2014), a jury member for the Guggenheim Foundation (2013–2018), and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bern Design Foundation (2016–2022). In Zurich, he is a co-director of the “Archive of Swiss Independent Periodical Publishing (ASIPP).”
“The HfG Karlsruhe is an institution unique in Germany and Europe that fundamentally integrates art, design, theory, and media in a transdisciplinary manner. Together with all members of the university, I would like to work on further refining this profile and, especially in these challenging times, remain open to new ideas,” Vogel emphasizes in anticipation of his upcoming inauguration. Dr. Andreas Vogel will succeed Jan Boelen. During the transition period, Prof. Constanze Fischbeck initially served as interim rector, and later Chancellor Thomas Fröhlich managed the university’s affairs together with a transitional rectorate. With Dr. Andreas Vogel taking office, the leadership of the HfG Karlsruhe will once again be permanently filled.
