Intersections of the Literary & Artistic Worlds in Myanmar & the Region in the 20th Century
Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore
Symposium: 17 November 2017
Submission of paper proposals by 31 July 2017

Intersections of the Literary & Artistic Worlds in Myanmar & the Region in the 20th Century corresponds to the last leg of the NTU-funded project on AungSoeillustrations.org, an open-access online database of illustrations by Myanmar’s trailblazer of modern art, Bagyi Aung Soe (1923–1990). This one-day symposium seeks to:

- investigate the hitherto overlooked medium and agency of illustration in the articulation of “art” in Myanmar and the region;
- discern geneses of “art” in Myanmar and the region from the perspective of the literary world;
- explore ways of thinking and writing about “art” beyond that yoked to the Euramerican experience and agenda;
- reflect on common threads and divergences in the way(s) in which modern art emerged in tandem with developments in the literary world in Myanmar and the region.

Areas of interest include but are not restricted to:

- Illustration as a site for articulating artistic modernities in Myanmar and the region
- Illustration as a means of making sense of constructs and paradigms of "art” in Myanmar and the region
- Illustration as image, body and medium in “art” in Myanmar and the region
- Writings on art and their role(s) in shaping artistic practice, production and reception in Myanmar and the region
- Literature and the writer in art; art and the artist in literature in Myanmar and the region
- Narratives of collaboration, dialogue, debate or/and contention between writers, artists, poets, filmmakers, editors, publishers, critics, etc. in Myanmar and the region
- Ecosystems of writers, artists, poets, filmmakers, editors, publishers, critics, etc. in Myanmar and the region

The deadline for the submission of paper proposals is 31 July 2017. Kindly submit the following in a Word document (.doc or .docx) to iLAW2017gmail.com: the title of the paper, a 200-word abstract, the presenter’s name, affiliation and contact information.
Accepted applicants will be notified by 31 August 2017. The selection of papers will take into consideration how the combination of contributions might best stimulate conversations and debates, and expand perspectives on the topic.

There is no registration fee for Intersections of the Literary & Artistic Worlds in Myanmar & the Region in the 20th Century. Independent scholars and students whose papers are accepted can be offered at least partial travel and accommodation assistance.

Full information: AungSoeillustrations.org/symposium
For further details and updates on the symposium, please write to iLAW2017gmail.com