Art, colonialism and change: symposium

Explore themes of empire, enslavement and resistance through the lens of artworks presented in our exhibition ‘Entangled Pasts, 1768–now: Art, Colonialism and Change’.
 
This academic symposium will present current research, on artworks from our colonial pasts and on the artists working today in dialogue with these works. Using artworks in the exhibition Entangled Pasts, 1768–now: Art, Colonialism and Change, speakers will investigate themes of migration, exchange, artistic traditions, identity and belonging.
 
Sessions will consider:
 
• Dialogues between artist and audience
• The changing reception of an artwork over time
• Interpretations of the artists’ perspective
• Importance of historical research and the archive
• Form, monument and sculpture
• Genre and media, from history painting to video art
• Inclusion and exclusion
• Ideas of ownership
 
Throughout the symposium, we will also hear from artists represented in the exhibition on how these themes inform their practice.