CFP— Commedification of Art

Olga Johnson Announcement
Location
Virginia, United States
Subject Fields
Art, Art History & Visual Studies, Humanities, Literature, Modern European History / Studies, Philosophy

 

SECAC 2020 — Richmond, Virginia

Conference Dates: 21 – 24 October, 2020

Call for Papers: February 10 – April 1
 

The 19th Century concertedly investigated the commedification of art, from the Romantic reception of Shakespeare and Baudelaire's ironic modernity to Wilde's wit and Bergson's theory of laughter. The 20th Century continued explorations of the subject: from the Early Modern dialogical imagination (Bakhtin) and the Dutch comic realism (Alpers) to the Modernist commedia dell' arte (Starobinski) and the Postmodern prankstership (Duchamp, McCarthy, and Cattelan). Such inquiries revealed how commedification shadows crucial political advances in history, i.e., the farcical recurrence (Marx). Despite the mainstream recognition, its insurgent valuations persist in the loss of authenticity (Green), the psychological economy (Freud), the cynical enlightenment (Foucault), and the capitalist instability (Žižek).

 

The panel explores the commedic visual art as the practice of liberation from the political, religious, and economic constraints, as pure creativity and redemption of transgressive labor. Potential questions include but are not limited to: What are the historical sources of commedification of art and its effects on the established values and norms of art production? Does it threaten institutions of art by opposing the commodity business? For the broadest investigation of the topic, contributors are encouraged to address diverse genealogies of comedy within the global cultural formations and as distinct individual expressions.

 

 

All proposals must be submitted by 11:59 pm EDT on April 1, 2020. If selected to participate in the annual conference, current SECAC membership and conference registration are required for all presenters. Submit proposals to the secure online submission platform, at https://secac.secure-platform.com/a/solicitations/9/home

 

Questions may be directed to 2020 Conference Director Carly Phinizy (secac2020@vcu.edu).

For logistical assistance, contact SECAC Administrator Christine Tate (admin@secac.org).

Contact Information

Panel Chair, Olga Johnson, Stony Brook University

Contact Email
olga.johnson@stonybrook.edu