Open call: Artivism Conference 2026 at Tshwane University of Technology

The conference invites contributions that critically engage with the role of art and design as tools for social, political and cultural change.

Conference overview

• Event: Artivism Conference 2026
• Theme: Reimagining Futures: Arts, Design & Artivism in Global Transformation
• Host: Faculty of Arts and Design, Tshwane University of Technology
• Partners: South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH); City of Tshwane

Conceptual focus

• Artivism refers to creative practices that merge art, design and activism
• Emphasis on art and design as processes of social engagement rather than fixed cultural production
• Exploration of how creative practices address colonial legacies and contemporary global challenges
• Consideration of artivism within the Global South, including its role in community engagement and social transformation
• Examination of digital technologies as spaces where creative practice and political action intersect

Scope of contributions

• Academic papers
• Practice-based research
• Demonstrations and displays
• Performances
• Panel discussions
• Experimental and interdisciplinary approaches
• Contributions are encouraged to pose critical questions and provocations, while also offering pathways for future thinking and practice.

Conference themes

• Climate justice and environmental awareness through creative practice
• Pedagogical approaches to artivism in higher education
• Artificial intelligence, ethics and creative resistance
• Digital artivism: technology, resistance and new audiences
• Decolonial futures: art, identity and cultural reconquest
• Gender justice and intersectional perspectives in artivism
• Healing, trauma and reconciliation through art and design
• Urban interventions and community empowerment
• Other innovative research and experimental approaches to artivism

Participation focus

• Open to artists, researchers, designers, academics, practitioners and activists
• Encourages interdisciplinary and practice-led contributions
• Aims to provide a platform for creative knowledge exchange and critical dialogue
• Further details regarding submission guidelines, deadlines and conference logistics are expected to be released by the organisers.

View the original call here.

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