What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Art Criticism in the 21st Century?
The AACA – Argentinean Association of Art Critics, AICA Argentina, and the Chilean Association of Art Critics, AICA Chile, with the cooperation of AICA International are jointly organizing the 54th AICA International Congress, which will be held in the cities of Valparaíso and Buenos Aires between 13 - 19 November. The Congress will be held in person with the option of online presentations for accepted papers.
The Congress, which will be held in Spanish and English with the theme “What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Art Criticism in the 21st Century?” is making an open call that will enable art writers, artists, and art critics to share their academic research at an international level.
Congress Topic - What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Art Criticism in the 21st Century?
As a symbolic expression of social concerns, today’s art calls for us to reflect on the times in which we live, which have been marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, raising questions not only in the domain of health, but everywhere in the world where it has wreaked havoc, by exacerbating existing inequalities and deep-seated problems affecting the most fragile societies. This combination of factors has cut off societies and thrown communities into isolation, creating a powerful impact on institutional agendas, starkly exposing the digital divide and provoking new challenges in the art world, while manifestations of discontent have spilled over into the street in some countries and have generated actions and public practices that have shifted towards the expressive/symbolic sphere usually reserved for art practice. The military conflict in Europe comes on top of the situation created by the pandemic. The Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24 reactivates concerns over nuclear weapons and raises the spectre of a third world war. The horrors of warfare become visible, over and above the toll of death and destruction, in the drama of millions of refugees fleeing from the conflict zone.
This context makes it indispensable for us to reflect, revise and discuss current problematics in the fields of criticism and curating. Multiple perspectives and a range of ambiguities open up in the fields of art and criticism. For example, feminist critique of the nature of relationships of power and knowledge has revealed different types of exclusion that persist in the art world, particularly in the areas of gender, ethnicity and class. In this sense, the contemporary arts have expanded and defied both theory and criticism, by proposing problematics linked, for example, to discrimination, invisibility and gender stereotypes. As a result, cultural theorists face the challenge of analyzing creations mediated by identity constructions that question the art system and the discourse that regulates it. The processes of de-naturalizing sexuality have broadened the boundaries of criticism and curating by being subjected to interrogation by queer and feminist works that aim to subvert established discourse.
Subtopics:
Art institutions and museums in the new virtual panorama.
Educational curating: from the schoolroom experience to the screen.
Biennales and exhibitions. Reflections on the new, post-pandemic context.
New audiences and strategies for overcoming the digital divide.
Art critics in the face of differences. Ethnic-racial and gender discrimination.
Art and criticism in the face of historical traumas provoked by the health emergency and the context of war and migrations.
Memories of authoritarian processes, social conflicts and upheaval.
Art and activisms: art, politics and citizenship.
Abstract - Guideline for authors
TITLE OF PAPER
Name(s) and Surname(s) of the Author(s)
Abstract
Abstracts should be written using the font “Times New Roman” without indentation. Page size should be A4, with margins 2.5 cm (right, top, bottom) and 3 cm (top). The entire abstract - excluding the title, name(s) and surname(s) of the author(s) - should not exceed 300 words. Title of the abstract should be written in uppercase with a font size of 14pt, bold and left-aligned.
Name(s) and surname(s) of the author(s) should be written under the title, using capital letters (font size 12pt), right aligned with a footnote using an asterisk. The footnote (font size 10pt) should indicate the affiliations and e-mails of all authors. The presenting author should be written first.
The abstract should be written using the font size 12pt with single line spacing. The spacing should be 6pt after the paragraph and the alignment should be set to “justified”.
Each abstract should clearly state the objectives, materials, method, findings and conclusions.
Statement
Each abstract should state ‘how’ it specifically relates to the concept of "What Are We Talking About When We Talk About Art Criticism in the 21st Century?", which is the subject of Congress in approximately one or two sentences. 50 words in total.
Keywords
The abstract paper should include minimum 3 and maximum 5 keywords. It should be written in lowercase with a font size of 12pt.
Short Bio
Abstract should include a paragraph of up to 150 words about the main biographical details of the presenting author. A short biography will be included in conference proceedings.
All abstracts must be submitted only in Word format (docx files) to the conference email at: congresoaica2022@gmail.com
The abstract submission deadline is August 1, 2022
Acceptance or rejection notifications will be sent by September 30th, 2022. If the proposal is accepted, full paper submission (20 minute contribution) must be submitted by October 28, 2022.
Papers can be presented live, in Valparaiso/Buenos Aires, or online.
*No possibility for accommodation or tickets available for live presentations.
Important Dates
Abstract Submission Deadline: August 1, 2022
Notification of Acceptance / Rejection: September 30, 2022
Full Paper Submission Deadline: October 28, 2022
Full Program Announcement: November 5, 2022
Pre Congress in Valparaiso: November 9-12, 2022
Congress in Valparaiso: November 13-16, 2022
Congress in Buenos Aires: November 17-19, 2022
Post-Congress in Buenos Aires: November 20-21, 2022
Post-Congress suggested trips within Argentina: November, 22-25, 2022
This call is also available in Spanish. Please download it here: Convocatoria Ponencias Congress AICA Int. 2022