Making Visible What We Live from: How Visual Arts, Museums, and Cultural Events Represent Contemporary Agri-Food Systems

This session aims to critically examine how visual arts and public curation initiatives can enhance sociological understanding of contemporary agri-food systems. It seeks to foster an international and interdisciplinary dialogue on the transformative potential of visual culture for the sociology of agriculture and food. By bringing together diverse sociological and visual cultural perspectives, we aim to advance our understanding of how creative practices can democratise knowledge, stimulate public discourse, and inspire progressive change within contemporary agri-food systems.

The sociology of agriculture and food critically foregrounds the structural contradictions inherent in contemporary agri-food systems. Central to this inquiry are asymmetric power relations, threats to ecological sustainability, the survival strategies of precarious primary producers, and emerging ethical consumerism.

Visual culture actively interrogates these socio-ecological complexities through diverse artistic and curatorial initiatives. Contemporary agri-food systems are critically examined through documentary and feature films, photojournalism, and historical archives, sometimes created by actors from the agri-food sector itself. These perspectives are complemented by contemporary interventions from museums, galleries, and visual artists, which curate exhibitions to deconstruct, challenge, and reframe the hidden mechanisms of the modern agri-food systems.

We welcome empirical, theoretical, and methodological contributions that analyse how film, photography, fine arts, museums, and cultural events depict and critique the contemporary agri-food landscapes. The aim is to analyse how these visual and cultural practices actively reframe public perceptions, challenge dominant corporate narratives, and reshape consumer behaviours.