Exhibiting Polish Art Abroad, 1918-2019: Curators, Festivals, Institutions

Organised by the Department of Art Studies, The Pedagogical University of Krakow, Poland

International academic conference, organised by the Department of Art Studies at the Pedagogical University of Krakow, will be dedicated to the history of exhibiting Polish art abroad from 1918 until today. Curating is one of the most progressive methods of researching visual culture because its effects are directly confronted with the opinion of experts and audiences. Throughout the 20th and 21st centuries numerous exhibitions contributed to the development of scholarship and the promotion of Polish art, increasing its presence in international art-related discourse. Exhibitions such as "Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes" in Paris in 1925, "EUROPA, EUROPA Das Jahrhundert der Avantgarde in Mittel- und Osteuropa" at the Kunsthalle in Bonn in 1994, and "Promesses du passé" at the Centre Pompidou in Paris in 2010 are among numerous examples of exhibitions that secured the position of Polish artists in international cultural narratives.

We are seeking proposals for 20-minute papers addressing topics related to the following areas:
1. National official art and art representing the universalist avant-garde at international exhibitions of contemporary art.
2. Reception of Polish art abroad in the period of political transformations and crises in Poland.
3. Reception of Polish museum doctrines in relation to 20th century art and curatorial concepts (Ryszard Stanisławski, Jerzy Ludwiński, the circle of the Foksal Gallery).
4. Global exhibitions and the process of revision of the history of art of the 20th century and developing the history of avant-garde art in Central and Eastern Europe.
5. Foreign curators interested in the exploration of Polish art.
6. Participation of Polish artists in the international movement of performance art (festivals, exchanges, institutions, archives).
7. History of art as the history of exhibitions: exhibitions of Polish art abroad and the construction of the canon.

The conference will be held online in English.
Confirmed keynote speakers: Prof. Kristine Stiles (Duke University), Dr Klara Kemp-Welch (The Courtauld Institute of Art)

Please email your paper proposal (abstract max. 250 words and a short CV) to karolina.kolendaup.krakow.pl. Deadline is 18 November 2020.

Important dates:
18 November 2020 – deadline for proposals
1 December 2020 – announcement of conference programme
5 December 2020 – registration of conference speakers
10–11 December 2020 – conference

Organising committee: Dr Małgorzata Kaźmierczak, Dr Karolina Kolenda, Dr Krzysztof Siatka.
Programme Committee: Prof. Maria Hussakowska, Dr Piotr Rypson

The conference is organised with the support of the Pedagogical University of Krakow and the Municipality of Krakow (Krakowskie Konferencje Naukowe).

For more information visit: https://fb.me/e/4uIQ0owXE