HomeIndigenous art today: critical perspectives and crossing viewpoints
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Published on Tuesday, July 12, 2022

Abstract

The notion of indigenous art today is more controversial than ever. Even though it constitutes a vindication and legitimization tool for the native peoples, its demand continues to reproduce a nineteenth-century distinction between Indigenous and civilized, primitive and modern, Western and the no-Western. Such distinctions provided the grounds on which several academic disciplines were formed, and based on their differences, they also forged diverging theoretical, methodological, and practical paths. Today, the multiple narratives on art aspire to coexist rather than compete, from the logic that fosters multivocality and plurality of discourses whatever their origins or inclinations are. We welcome all those who wish to participate to reflect on the possibilities for encounter and dialogue in the study of aesthetic manifestations and forms of expression that have not necessarily been perceived as “artistic” and that, until now, have been mainly the object of interest of the anthropological and archaeological disciplines.

Announcement

Call for papers : Indigenous art today : Critical perspectives and crossing viewpoints.

Barcelona, Spain : November 9 and 10, 2022.

Santiago, Chile : November 16, 17 and 18, 2022.

Argument

The notion of indigenous art today is more controversial than ever. Even though it constitutes a vindication and legitimization tool for the native peoples, its demand continues to reproduce a nineteenth-century distinction between Indigenous and civilized, primitive and modern, Western and the no-Western. Such distinctions provided the grounds on which several academic disciplines were formed, and based on their differences, they also forged diverging theoretical, methodological, and practical paths ; as in anthropology and archeology, on the one hand, and art history, aesthetics, and art, on the other. In a postmodern scenario, however, these thematic and disciplinary dichotomies lose all meaning. Today, the multiple narratives on art aspire to coexist rather than compete, from the logic that fosters multivocality and plurality of discourses whatever their origins or inclinations are.

It has been particularly difficult for art history and art theory to enter into fields of study that have traditionally pertained to archaeology and anthropology, such as “pre-Columbian art” or “Indigenous art”. In fact, while there are numerous departments of institutions and publications devoted to the study of pre-Columbian art, very few researchers originate from or rely on the history or theory of art as such. Therefore, this conference seeks to bring together various interdisciplinary perspectives from which to understand the aesthetic manifestations, worldviews, and historical developments of those non-European societies in order to reconcile the history and theory of art with anthropology and archeology. This responds to the need to seek an expansion of the methodological limits that are based on an arbitrary division –inherited from Eurocentric prejudices that have prevailed since the eighteenth century– between the objects of study of each discipline. In addition, it also considers the urgency of opening to other non-hegemonic, subordinate, and dissident discourses, as well as to the understanding of other ways of perceiving and understanding the world.

We welcome all those who wish to participate to reflect on the possibilities for encounter and dialogue in the study of aesthetic manifestations and forms of expression that have not necessarily been perceived as “artistic” and that, until now, have been mainly the object of interest of the anthropological and archaeological disciplines.

Topic Proposals

Proposals may focus on the following guidelines :

  • contributions between art history and visual studies to anthropology and vice versa.
  • indigenous artists, or the inclusion of the indigenous since the colonial period up to the present, in European art circles.
  • contemporary artists’ case studies.
  • primitivism in contemporary art.
  • critical and postcolonial discourses in contemporary art.

How to apply

Proposals must be submitted in Spanish or English and must have a title, an abstract of no more than 300 words, accompanied by a brief biography of the author (no more than 4 lines).

The deadline for proposal submission is August 30th, 2022.

They should be sent to :

Marta Antón : marta.anton@upf.edu

Alessandra Caputo : alessandra.caputo@uai.cl

Organizers

  • Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, Facultad de Artes Liberales, Centro de Estudios del Patrimonio Museo Chileno de Arte Precolombino,
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Institut Universitari de Cultura, Centre Investigador en Art Primitiu i Primitivisme
  • Museu Etnològic i de Cultures del Mon de Barcelona

Committee members

  • Estela Ocampo (professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra-Barcelona, Spain)
  • Fernando Guzmán (professor at the Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Chili)
  • Marta Anton (professor at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra-Barcelona, Spain)
  • Alessandra Caputo (professor at the Universidad Adolfo Ibanez, Chili)

More information

Barcelona, Spain : November 9 and 10, 2022

Santiago, Chile : November 16, 17 and 18, 2022

Hybrid modality

Places

  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra, calle Ramon Trias Fargas 25-27
    Barcelona, Kingdom of Spain (08005)
  • Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez Diag. Las Torres 2640, Santiago
    Peñalolén, Chile (7941169)

Event attendance modalities

Hybrid event (on site and online)


Date(s)

  • Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Keywords

  • indigenous art, anthropology, art history

Contact(s)

  • MARTA ANTON
    courriel : crae [dot] doctorant [dot] e [dot] s [at] gmail [dot] com
  • CAPUTO ALESSANDRA
    courriel : alessandra [dot] caputo [at] uai [dot] cl

Information source

  • MARTA ANTON
    courriel : crae [dot] doctorant [dot] e [dot] s [at] gmail [dot] com

License

CC0-1.0 This announcement is licensed under the terms of Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal.

To cite this announcement

« Indigenous art today: critical perspectives and crossing viewpoints », Call for papers, Calenda, Published on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, https://doi.org/10.58079/199r

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