MEXICAN ART GOES GLOBAL: Tracing Artistic Connections During the Iron Curtain Era.

The Institute of Art History at the University of Wrocław announces a conference exploring the rich yet understudied artistic exchanges between Mexican and Eastern European artists during the Cold War period. The conference takes particular inspiration from the pioneering scholarship of Piotr Piotrowski, who highlighted Mexican art's unique "global character" in relation to socialist realism and its reception in Eastern Europe.

The historical significance of Wrocław in Polish-Mexican cultural relations adds special resonance to the conference location. The city hosted Leopold Méndez, co-founder of the Taller de Gráfica Popular, during the 1948 Congress of Intellectuals, marking an early milestone in these artistic exchanges. The conference seeks to deepen our understanding of Mexican art's impact during the Iron Curtain era, including the intriguing case of Frida Kahlo's "The Wounded Table" (1940), which disappeared after its 1955 exhibition in Warsaw.
The conference welcomes papers addressing themes including:

Exhibitions by the Frente Nacional de Artes Plásticas (1952-1962) in Eastern Europe and the USSR
Artivism: leftist, politically engaged art in Western Europe and Asia inspired by Mexican art
Mexican murals in Eastern Europe
Protest art of 1968 in Mexico and Eastern Europe
Official versus unofficial artistic exchange during the Cold War
Mexican artists in Eastern Europe and Eastern European artists in Mexico
Comparison of feminist ideas in Mexican art and Eastern European Art

Submission Requirements:

Title and abstract (up to 300 words)
Full contact information (name, mailing address, and email)
Short CV (maximum 200 words)

Important Dates:

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2025
Conference Dates: May 22-23, 2025

Please send submissions to:
Dr. Karolina Zychowicz
karolina.zychowiczuwr.edu.pl