Presentation: Intersections of exile: transnational artistic networks, associations and collaborations

Abstract

In the field of arts, migration processes, whether voluntary or enforced, play a crucial role in the creation and diffusion of ideas, concepts and new forms of artistic expression, breaking down barriers between “center” and “periphery”, splintering canons and models. The circulation and mobility of cultural agents and artists in the most diverse regions of the world has promoted the formation of creative networks and artistic collectives that, for this reason, have crossed different experiences of cultural uprooting, bicultural experimentalism, individual art projects and political and social solidarity programs. The association between artists and galleries, curators and collectors (who are often in migration themselves) in the destination countries gave exposure to and structured these creative collaborations, making their role significant in distinct contexts, those of departure and of arrival, thus connecting with multiple realities and cultural-artistic practices. This dossier underlines the impact of transcultural collaborative projects in the (re)definition of local artistic contexts, on political and social agency and on intercultural dialogue, paying particular attention to formal or informal groups that have challenged historiographical narratives, especially those produced in Europe and North America, diversified forms of intervention and exhibition and defined new geographies of exchange.