Transits, Journeys, and Displacements In Modern and Contemporary Art

Transit, journeys, and displacement have always been present in the art world. One need not look far to recall Gauguin's sojourn to Tahiti, Matisse's journey through Morocco, Torres García's stay in Europe, or Hélio Oiticica's self-exile in New York. Nor is it remiss to mention the myriad artistic residencies that characterize contemporary art. Exchange programs and international exhibition circuits have multiplied significantly over recent decades. Displacement affects not only artists, but also critics and curators who move between cities from East to West, from North to South. Furthermore, numerous collections and works of art "travel", leaving their home institutions to be exhibited abroad. What is the importance of this movement? Would the art world survive without it? This session aims to question the value of displacement and travel in modern and contemporary artistic production, examining the institutional and geopolitical contexts in which they occur, as well as the gender, race, and nationality differences of the agents involved. In today's world, where the flows of globalization are challenged by wars, border controls, and anti-immigration policies, the theme of travel—so recurrent in modern and contemporary art—acquires special relevance. This session is open to proposals on the various displacements that impact experience and affect the production and dissemination of art: be they formative journeys, forced displacements due to exile and migration, artistic residencies, flows of works and exhibitions, or the repatriation of objects in colonial and decolonial disputes.