Re-imagining the Global South: Art, Gender and Identity
University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, 27-31 October 2025
In 1973, Mobutu Sese Seko, the former president of Zaire, hosted the only AICA International Congress ever held on African soil. Nearly 50 years later, the tide has turned. The global movement for the reappropriation of African art is now unstoppable, driven by civil society. In this symbolic and powerful moment, AICA International’s 57th Congress will take place in democratic South Africa, marking 30 years since the fall of apartheid.
We are pleased to invite scholars, artists, and art critics to submit papers that fall within the topic of the Congress: Re-imagining the Global South: Art, Gender and Identity. This event will bring together voices from the Global South to discuss how art, gender, and identity intersect in both historical and contemporary contexts, offering a critical re-thinking of the relationship between art and the processes of colonization, marginalization, and diaspora.
The term ‘Global South’ is understood in this context to refer to any country or territory that has been colonized or marginalized in relation to the ‘centre’, which is predominantly defined by Europe and North America within the field of art history. The goal of this Congress is to foster discussions that challenge Eurocentric frameworks and reconsider the power dynamics within the global art world.
We invite papers that address, but are not limited to, the following themes:
Art Contributions to Defining the ‘Global South’
How can art be used as a medium for discussing and redefining the ‘Global South’ within the context of global art history?Race and Gender in Artistic Careers
How do race and gender shape artistic careers in the Global South? How do these factors intersect with opportunities, recognition, and visibility?Undoing Historical ‘Othering’ Through Art
In what ways can art and art criticism undo the historical processes of ‘othering’ and marginalization, particularly in terms of race and gender?Women, Forced Migration, and Diaspora
How do artists from the Global South engage with the complex effects of forced migration and diaspora, particularly through the lens of gendered experiences?Art as a Response to Gender-Based Violence
What role does art play in responding to and representing gender-based violence in the Global South?Art as a Response to Race-Based Violence
How can art serve as both a reaction to and a form of resistance against race-based violence, particularly within the framework of colonial histories and ongoing racial injustices?Indigenous and First Nations Art
What is the role of Indigenous and First Nations art in the Global South, and how is it received by contemporary art criticism? How can Indigenous art disrupt mainstream narratives in global art discourse?Colonial Extractivism and Gendered Experiences
How do artists respond to the effects of colonial extractivism, and how do these responses illuminate gendered experiences of exploitation and displacement?Gender and Race in Decolonial Artmaking
How do artists from the Global South use race and gender to inform decolonial artmaking practices? How does this challenge traditional colonial narratives?Exposing Gendered and Colonial Bias in Art Criticism
What is the importance of art criticism in revealing gendered and/or colonial biases within both contemporary and historical art practices?
We welcome interdisciplinary approaches that engage with a range of art forms. Papers may focus on specific artists, movements, regions, or theoretical perspectives. Papers will be presented in person, at the University of Johannesburg. The working language of the Congress will be English.
Submission Guidelines:
● Abstracts for 20 min. presentations should be no longer than 300 words.
● Please include a short biography (150 words) of the author(s).
● Submissions should be sent to aica.johannesburg.2025@gmail.com by 30 April 2025
● Papers will be selected based on their relevance to the themes outlined above, originality, and scholarly contribution. The selection results will be announced by Monday 19 May 2025.
We look forward to receiving your submissions and to a stimulating exchange of ideas at this Congress. See you in Johannesburg!
