Studio As Site of Inquiry: Reconsidering Practice-Led and Artistic Research in The Visual Arts

Studio-based research is increasingly acknowledged as a valuable approach in creative practice, yet its academic legitimacy remains contested. The challenge lies in its divergence from conventional scientific procedures, since it is often practice-led, intuitive, and materially grounded in its modes of inquiry. This paper addresses that problem by examining the methodological and epistemological foundations of studio-based research, with the aim of clarifying its academic relevance. The study investigates how creative practice functions not only as a process of inquiry but also as an outcome that generates implicit, embodied, and non-linear knowledge. Using a qualitative and interpretive approach, it draws on theoretical models and current scholarship to critically analyze three central typologies of studio inquiry: practice-led, practice-based, and artistic research. The analysis demonstrates how reflective and iterative processes strengthen the knowledge-generating capacity of studio practice. Findings show that studio-based research produces original insights through making, accommodates diverse epistemological positions, and disrupts dominant research paradigms. The paper concludes that meaningful validation of this mode of research requires assessment frameworks that are responsive to its distinctive epistemic structures. By doing so, it argues for the recognition of studio-based research as a legitimate and necessary contributor to academic knowledge.