Conference: Unfinished Empire?

19 May 2023

ABSTRACT:

The call to decolonize the visual arts rests on the notion that empires, even after they have fallen, continue to shape artistic values, concepts and practices. It argues that even when post-independence states declared their liberation from their former rulers, imperial and colonial regimes cast a long shadow that continued to shape practices. It is this issue that forms the focus of this conference.

Many individual artists and architects, cultural institutions and creative networks in post-independence states may have sought to establish new post-colonial ideas and practices, but many others perpetuated the old. This conference examines the complex artistic and architectural landscape of post-imperial states. How did individuals and artworld institutions respond to new circumstances? Imperial nostalgia has been well documented, but how deeply did it shape artistic practices, and what forms did it take? Conversely, how successfully were colonial legacies dismantled, and what strategies were adopted?