SocialEast
Forum on the Art and Visual Culture of Eastern Europe

SEMINAR SERIES - CALL FOR PAPERS

Proposals for papers are invited from art historians, curators and artists
that examine the art and visual culture of Eastern Europe in both
historical and contemporary contexts. Papers are sought for the SocialEast
Seminar on Art and Empire (Manchester, 17 November 2007) and the
SocialEast Seminar on the Legacy of 1968 (Venue to be confirmed, May 2008).

To suggest a paper for either of the next two seminars, please send a 200
word proposal and biographical note to Dr. Reuben Fowkes by email to
r.fowkesmmu.ac.uk

The deadline for submissions is 15 September 2007.

The SocialEast Forum was initiated in 2006 by Dr. Reuben Fowkes of MIRIAD
Manchester Metropolitan University and is a platform for collaborative,
transnational research on the art and visual culture of Eastern Europe.
Documentation of the first four SocialEast Seminars on Art and Ideology,
Art and Documentary, Art and Revolution and Art and Memory, which were
held in Manchester, Budapest and Zagreb 2006-7 can be found on the
SocialEast Forum
website www.socialeast.org

SocialEast Seminar Series 2007-8

Two SocialEast Seminars will be held during 2007-8 to address the topics
of Art and Empire and the Legacy of 1968. The seminars will be accompanied
by a contemporary art programme, including exhibitions, artist
presentations and film screenings.

No.5 Art and Empire
Manchester, 17 November 2007

This seminar considers the issue of colonisation as a historical problem
in the relationship between the Soviet Union and the countries of the
Eastern Bloc, examining whether cultural imperialism during the Cold War
should be understood as a complex two-way process. It will also include
discussion of the issue of the relationship of Eastern European
contemporary art with the West, in terms of the activities and interests
of art institutions, curators and collectors in a post-socialist global
art economy.

No.6 The Legacy of 1968
Venue to be confirmed, May 2008

This seminar will examine the multiple legacies of 1968 for contemporary
art in terms of new artistic practices involving dematerialisation,
performance and the use of new media; social and institutional critique;
as well as the impact of political upheavals on art. It will also consider
the contemporary implications of the social movements and artistic
radicalism of 1968 against the backdrop of the organised commemoration of
the 40th anniversary, as well as the specificities of the experience of
1968 in the countries of Eastern Europe.

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