Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Huesca Convention Center, November 23 – 24, 2018
Deadline: Jul 15, 2018

 

Call for papers: International Conference “Territories that Matter. Gender, Art and Ecology”

Organizing institutions: Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Centro de Arte y Naturaleza-Fundación Beulas (CDAN) and Ayuntamiento de Huesca

Deadline: July 15, 2018

Coinciding with the opening of the exhibition “Territories that Matter. Gender, Art and Ecology” on October 18, 2018, at the Centro de Arte y Naturaleza-Fundación Beulas (CDAN) in the city of Huesca (Spain), the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the CDAN and the Ayuntamiento de Huesca are organizing an international conference with the same title that will take place at the the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid and the Huesca Convention Center, on November 23 and 24, 2018, respectively.

The aim of this conference is to explore the intersections between contemporary art, gender issues, and political ecology. Since the 1960s, influenced by Second-Wave Feminism and ecofeminist theories, a great number of artists, specially women artists, have sought to trascend the traditional identification of women with the earth in order to consider, from a larger perspective, the complex interactions between gender politics and environmental issues.

In recent years, artistic practices committed to feminism and the protection of the environment have been enhanced with new contributions: moving beyond the debates of early ecofeminism, feminist political ecologists suggest gender is a crucial variable – in relation to class, race and other relevant dimensions of political ecological life – in constituting access to, control over, and knowledge of natural resources, thus underlining the interconnection between patriarchy, colonialism, capitalism and extractivism. In addition, the new challenges of climate change act as powerful reminder of the social responsibility of the artist and the role of artistic education in promoting environmental ethics, while queer ecology and animal rights movements help us understand the relation between heteronormativity and speciesm.

Territories that matter focuses on a topic which has not been extensively adressed by scholarly literature and museums. Some recent exhibitions have tried to highlight the role of women in Land Art (Decoys, Complexes, and Triggers: Feminism and Land Art in the 1970s,l SculptureCenter, Queens, 2008) and some very interesting reference books on art and ecology have been published over the last few years (Land and Environmental Art, Jeffrey Kastner (ed.), Londres, Phaidon, 1998; Art an Ecology Now, de Andrew Brown, Londres, Thames and Hudson, 2014; or Arte y Ecología, Tonia Raquejo y José María Parreño (eds.), Madrid, UNED, 2015, to cite only a few). However, the particular contributions of women artists and feminist and queer perspectives to these debates need to be further investigated.

You are cordially invited to offer a paper or panel. Proposals for individual papers as well as panels on specific themes (max. four papers per panel) are encouraged. Any proposed panel should be organised by one convenor who will be responsible for inviting the speakers and chairing the session.

The possible themes might include, but are not limited to:
– Women artists in Land Art
– Spirituality, art and nature
– Ecofeminism and art practice
– Queer ecologies
– Feminism, art and global warming
– The care economy and sustainable economy
– Post-colonial approaches on art, gender and ecology
– Biodiversity, art and invention
– Dialogue between art and science
– Non-human animals in the art
– Anti-speciesism, feminism and art practice
– Art and environmental ethics
– Art education and environment
– New art organizations: platforms, labs and art centers focusing on art and ecology
– Art and littering
– Post-landscape visions

Please send abstracts (300-400 words) for a 20-minute talk in Spanish or English and a bio (250 words max.) to the following email address: territoriesconference2018@gmail.com no later than July 15, 2018

Contact details (address, e-mail, and telephone) and academic affiliation should be provided.

Convenors: Juan Guardiola (CDAN), Patricia Mayayo (UAM) y David Moriente (UAM)

The CDAN, inaugurated in 2006, is a well-renowned art center focusing on the relationship between art and the environment. The building, constructed by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, is located nearby the city of Huesca, in the foothills of the Pyrenee mountains. Its collection comprises a series of landscape artworks by Richard Long, Ulrich Rückriem, Siah Armajani, Fernando Casás, David Nash, Alberto Carneiro y Per Kirkeby. After the conference, the curators, Juan Guardiola and Patricia Mayayo, will conduct a guided tour to the exhibition.