Visual and Material Culture Research Centre

Kingston University, London.

The concept of the avant-garde is arguably the most important and influential one in the history of modern art, but it is a notion often left unexamined. We are prompted to ask - which avant-garde? In the context of the recent popularity of a return to the issues of modernism within contemporary art and criticism, this conference proposes a critical re-engagement with the theory, histories and politics of the avant-garde.

The conference is intended to make original connections between a range of moments in the history of the artistic avant-garde, and to explore its relevance for contemporary cultural and social issues. It will focus, in particular, on the endurance of avant-garde approaches across the twentieth-century and their contemporary resonances.

We welcome proposals on the theory and politics of the avant-garde, particular moments in its history and its legacies, and how avant-garde artefacts are now collected, preserved, digitized or otherwise kept in existence.

Keynote speakers include Nicholas Bourriaud, Sylvère Lotringer and Franco 'Bifo' Berardi.

Please send 200 word abstracts to G.Grindon@kingston.ac.uk by Wed 18th April 2009.