Laura Fumagalli (she/her)

I am a doctoral candidate in Philosophy, specialising in Aesthetics. Before starting my PhD (2021), I worked as an assistant in a contemporary art gallery in London, UK and a literary museum in Lecco, Italy. Previously, I completed an M.A. (2020) in Philosophy and Aesthetics and a B.A. (2017) in Philosophy at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, and an M.Sc. in Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, UK (2018). During the Spring of 2023, I was a visiting doctoral student at the Department of Aesthetics of Uppsala University, Sweden. 

Research Statement

My doctoral dissertation examines issues of environmental aesthetics in an age of environmental crises. In particular, I focus on negative aesthetic qualities (esp. ugliness and disgust) and negative aesthetic experiences of nature, considering that this topic is largely neglected in the literature. To clearly frame this debate, I also address the definition of the object of environmental aesthetics, that is, what exactly we appreciate when we aesthetically appreciate nature.

My main areas of interest are aesthetics, philosophy of art and environmental philosophy and issues connected to the relationship between aesthetic and ethical values. 

Affiliation: 

Augsburg Universität and LMU München