Artistic Subversion: Exposing Conditions & Cracking the Frame (working title), Kunstlicht, Vol. 38 (2017)

The upcoming issue of Kunstlicht will consider the strategies and methods by which artists unveil, resist, or transform structures of power.

As the philosopher Chantal Mouffe has noted, today “artistic critique has become an important element of capitalist productivity”. As such, art is implicated in regimes of social control and the consolidation of capital. But (how) can it be called upon to subvert these regimes? Artists like Martha Rosler, with works that combine disparate images such as 'House Beautiful: Bringing the War Home' (1967-72, 2004-08) and 'If It's Too Bad to be True, It Could be Disinformation' (1985), or Elizabeth Sisco, Louis Hock, and David Avalos who collaborate on public projects such as 'Welcome to America’s Finest Tourist Plantation' (1988) or 'Art Rebate' (1993) that engage directly with media to shape the discourse they generate, continue to devise strategies to generate critical reflection despite the treacherous nature of the terrain.

Kunstlicht invites contributions that focus on specific case studies (past or present), as well as theory-based discussions on subversion in art. How can art be subversive and what does it effectively subvert? How do historic, cultural, or socioeconomic circumstances influence approaches to subversion, and how does the controversy it generates influence its potential? Is the subversive quality of an artwork intrinsically connected to the context of its realization, or is it possible for a work to continue to be subversive, or to become subversive in new contexts? With such questions in mind, this issue seeks to explore subversion in relation to artistic practice, and the conditions that must be considered when making an artwork that may threaten reigning hegemonies.

Proposals (200-300 words) with attached résumés can be submitted via redactietijdschriftkunstlicht.nl. Selected authors will be invited to write a 2,000-3,000 word paper (excluding notes) in English or Dutch.

For the full call see: http://www.tijdschriftkunstlicht.nl/cfp/artistic-subversion/