Syndicate: CALL FOR PAPERS/INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

[Melentie Pandilovski <mpandil@soros.org.mk>]

Dear Syndicalists,

As I have beeen informed by Olesia Ostrovska from the International
Charitable Foundation "Center for Contemporary Art" (former Soros
Center for Contemporary Art), CCA - there are no forms to fill yet.
But probably, there will be a kind of selection procedure on the basis
of thesis sent to their office. Invited guests are also planned.

Best,

Melentie

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CALL FOR PAPERS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

"VISUAL ARTS OF THE 80-90s 
IN THE CULTURAL CONTEXT OF THE ?? CENTURY"

International Charitable Foundation "Center for Contemporary Art" (former Soros
Center for Contemporary Art), 
Kyiv, Ukraine initiates an international conference "Visual Arts of the
80-90s in the cultural context of the XX century" to take place in
November, 1999 at the National University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy" in
Kyiv, Ukraine. 

Purpose :

Broadly conceived, the purpose of the conference is to facilitate dialogue across 
traditional disciplinary
boundaries and to bring together art critics, art historians, curators,
artists, museums directors and scientists from Europe, Russia and USA to
present current research, review trends, exchange ideas, and address
problems and issues of contemporary visual arts within the specific
context of Eastern and Central Europe in its relation to international
experience in art. More specifically the aim of the conference is to
highlight the existing gaps between the art practices and art theory
inherent in the context of  contemporary art in Ukraine and partly in
Eastern and Central Europe for the community, to analyze their reasons
and to find out the points of their maximum rapprochement.

Rationale:

Since the beginning of the 90s the Ukrainian artistic community has anticipated its
integration to the international context, being involved to the
informational exchange and participation in major artistic venues; it
became aware of the existing artistic practices and problems and applied
them to the local context. Meanwhile in the sphere of critical thought
actually no changes have taken place. The conference approaches the
following combination of problems which characterize the present
situation in the sphere of the critical thought:

-  The academic art theory and critical thought are still burdened by the linear 
historical approach to art, their language and methodology are
applicable only to the classical art. For this reason they do not admit
the contemporary artistic practices to be valid art, and herewith
exclude them from the artistic infrastructure. Even in case the
professionals are aware of this, they have a fragmentary knowledge
because of the drawbacks of education and lack of information, and
therefore aren't able to operate adequately with the conceptual
apparatus of contemporary art theory&criticism and to promote the
development of the infrastructure of contemporary art in Ukraine.

-Up to this time art was regarded mostly as a social institute and set of technical
skills, instead this conference aims also to regard it in terms of
individual consciousness.

- Theory and critical thought as well as the art itself, pretend to be a self-sufficient area 
standing apart from the cultural context and dealing only with "inner"
problems, cutting off by this position the very possibility of  the
interdisciplinary approach.

-   The level of art criticism is reduced to the level of popular newspaper reports about 
exhibition openings - there are no regular critical art magazines which
would contain theoretical and critical research based on contemporary
art scene; lack of interdisciplinary forums on the urgent issues of
contemporary art in the sphere of art theory.    

Meeting these problems, the project will present a broad panorama of contemporary critical 
thought in Eastern&Central Europe to compare it with dominating ideas in
this field in Western Europe, America and other countries. We hope for
the productive collaboration of the professionals from various branches
of knowledge and for discovering the points of comprehension as well as
for outlining the  differences. 

The conference is the first project in the development of a  new research trend of the CCA
Educational Program and new critical school on the basis of the National
University of "Kyiv-Mohyla Academy" and CCA, which would combine
elements of contemporary art theory and theory of culture.

Proposed Schedule:

 The conference incorporates 4 sessions:

1) the theory of  art and culture
(among the proposed themes: issues of body and new forms of representation of sexuality;
textual parameters of contemporary art; ritualised artistic practices
and communicative aspects of  art; ethnic/international contemporary
art; we are open to other proposals)

2)  the new media and technologies in the contemporary art
(among the proposed themes: universal/authoritarian aspects of media discourse in art theory; 
new media theory and power analysis in art; virtual reality and the
virtuality of the Self ; Internet, CD-ROM and other medias in art; we
are open to other proposals) 

3) the psychological aspects of contemporary art
(among the proposed themes: psycho/physiological aspects of perception in art; the use of the
suggestive psychotechnics in the contemporary art; psychoanalytical
issues in art; we are open to other proposals).

4) infrastructure of contemporary art 
(among the proposed themes: models of collaboration between curator and artist; development
of curatorial institute in the XX century; models of the functioning of
art institutions in various countries; museums of contemporary art; we
are open to other proposals)

All groups will  be working simultaneously during the 3 days session. 


PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES:

Among the participants of the conference there will be specially invited guests - leading specialists
>from Ukraine, countries of the former Soviet Union, Eastern and Central
Europe, Western Europe and America - as well as the authors of  thesis
to be submitted to CCA by  May 1999 and selected by the Conference
Committee. 

Deadline for the submission of the thesis is May 1st, 1999.
 
Number of  the participants must not exceed 60 persons. International Foundation "Center for
Contemporary Art, Ukraine will cover travel costs, accommodations and
meals for all participants throughout the session. Unfortunately  there
is no possibility to cover per diems. Participation in the conference as
speakers is open to all applicants with postgraduate degree. 

Proposals will be reviewed by the Conference Committee that will help to shape both the thematic
and nonthematic portions of the program. The Committee will also work
with the CCA conference coordinators to produce conference publications
and ensure smooth running of  the conference session. 

Theme proposals should be submitted to Olga Zhuk, Conference Coordinator, and must include 5 
copies of the following: a one/two-page explanation/thesis of the
proposed theme (including its title and rationale) and a short c.v. of
the proposer. Proposers should indicate for which thematic portion the
topic is intended. 

It is possible to participate in the conference without attendance  by sending a written report 
(up to 10 pages) which will be presented on the panel board along
conference halls. 

The most urgent and interesting reports will be included to the book summarizing the 
conference. The whole edition will be granted to the University
libraries, participants and the community. 

Please send your thesis to:

Olga Zhuk
Conference Coordinator
Soros Center for Contemporary Art
vul. Skovorody 2
Kyiv 254070
mail box # 6412
Ukraine

tel.: 380 44 / 416 2262
       380 44 / 416 6907
fax: 380 44 / 416 0386

e-mail:  zhuk@cca.kiev.ua