Visual Activism

Join us for a symposium exploring the relationship between visual culture and activist practices.

Art can take the form of political and social activism, and activism often takes on specific, and sometimes surprising, visual forms. How is our broader visual culture shaped by activist practices that circulate in public space? How can we better understand forms of communication that take place under threat of war, revolution, or repression? What strategies can be deployed to transform our engagement with the built environment and broader ecologies? How do embedded social hegemonies, such as racism, figure in the larger efforts to engage with activism visually?

Scholars, artists, and activists address these and related questions in a series of presentations, performances, and interactive projects.

This symposium is presented by the International Association for Visual Culture in collaboration with SFMOMA, and is convened by Julia Bryan-Wilson, associate professor of modern and contemporary art, UC Berkeley; Jennifer A. González, associate professor of history of art and visual culture, contemporary art, race and representation, UC Santa Cruz; and Dominic Willsdon, Leanne and George Roberts Curator of Education and Public Programs, SFMOMA.

For further information about the International Association for Visual Culture, please visit iavc.org.uk.

Visual Activism is followed on Sunday, March 16, by Bearing Witness, a one-day symposium that explores the political and social significance of the rapid and fundamental changes in the field of contemporary photography.

Watch selected symposium presentations:
Jeff Derksen and Sabine Bitter
Michelle Dizon
Gran Fury
Shannon Jackson and Tina Takemoto
Carlos Motta
Lisa Parks
Jerome Reyes, Nine Yamamoto-Masson, and Srinivas Aditya Mopidevi
Favianna Rodriguez and Teddy Cruz