Appel à textes : CAND Conference « Practicing Resilience: Redefining Spirituality through Contemporary Art », 10 février 2023

“Times of upheaval inspire a search for alternative understandings of reality.” In “Spirituality Has Long Been Erased From Art History. Here’s Why It’s Having a Resurgence Today” art critic Eleanor Heartney identifies a “trend for spiritually-minded art,” which has resulted in a “new spirituality [that] manifests itself in a longing for restorative positives, and human-centered social attitudes.” It is within this search for a new, more expansive definition of spirituality that we seek to locate the role of visual art. 

In the midst of climate crisis, racialized violence, police brutality, the pandemic, and global oppression, creative explorations of spirituality in contemporary art practice provide a unifying forum for reflection and response. Expressions of spirituality in relation to identity are both intimate and diverse. This conference engages with themes of resilience, vulnerability, healing, transcendence, transformation, refuge, and retaliation. We ask, how have individuals and communities grounded themselves during these times of social turmoil? Can new interpretations of “spirituality” aid artists and viewers in overcoming adversity?  How are artists redefining spirituality through contemporary artistic practice?

With this call, we invite contributions for the annual Graduate Student Conference hosted by the Contemporary Art, Design, and New Media Art Histories (CADN) Program at OCAD University. We accept cross-disciplinary graduate and independent submissions worldwide, from critical essays to poetry and artwork, and welcome submissions that address intersectional approaches to the theme Practicing Resilience: Redefining Spirituality through Contemporary Art.

Themes could include but are not limited to:

  • Ethos in/of contemporary art 
  • Resilience of body, mind, spirit and/or community 
  • Transcendence in contemporary art practice; cathartic release; intersection of art and faith  
  • Channeling individual/collective unconscious 
  • Contemporary Expressionism; Afrofuturism; Post-Humanism; sentience and creativity in AI

How to submit:

  • A 250 word abstract or proposal, short biography, and (optional) up to five (5) images and/or five (5) minutes of video by February 10/23
  • Upload via submission portal or email cadn.conference.2023@gmail.com
  • Submit texts as .docx or .pdf files.  
  • Accepted candidates will be notified by email. 

Pour plus d’informations : https://www.cadnconference.com/