CALL FOR CONTRIBUTORS
Aesthetics of Joy and Refuge in Contemporary Culture: An Interdisciplinary Symposium by The Latinx Project
The Latinx Project invites submissions to an Open Call conference exploring scholarly approaches to the study of contemporary Latinx visual and expressive culture. The event will take place on Friday, October 11, 2025 at New York University. We are especially interested in original contributions that examine contemporary visual and expressive culture across film, media, sound, visual arts, design, architecture, fashion, advertising—and all forms in which today’s society visualizes Latinx culture.
We seek to examine the aesthetic strategies and creative interventions of artists and cultural producers, while also understanding how they visualize diverse expressions and work to transform contemporary visual and creative industries. Going beyond traditional approaches to visual stereotypes and the pathologization of Latinx culture, we’re looking for proposals that highlight creative strategies or that contextualize the larger historical and political economy context in which representations move. We are particularly curious about submissions that explore the political economy behind the production, circulation, and consumption of expressive culture— the ways in which communities engage with mediated representations of culture in all its forms. We welcome work that theorizes what we can learn about Latinx politics of joy, protest, and refuge in the twenty-first century when we foreground contemporary strategies of visual representation.
Some ideas and concepts for possible contributions include but are not limited to:
Media and cultural policies affecting film, media, sound, and other culture industries
Explorations of design, public art, and public interventions on the landscape
Black and Indigenous visualities
Disability and expressive cultures
Visual artists working across or along borderlines, and/or far from creative centers
Perspectives on aesthetics, sexuality, and contemporary art
Grassroots media and alternative fashion
AI futures
Logics of gender and citizenship
Aesthetic epistemologies
The politics of archives
Surveillance technologies
Labor in creative industries
Media and algorithmic citizenship
Deadline to submit: June 29, 2025
Application
Please submit (1) a short abstract (pdf) of under 200 words and (2) a bio or CV by June 29, 2025. Contributors will receive a travel stipend to cover travel from outside NYC and surrounding areas.
Click here to access the submission form.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply? Submit your proposal via the submission form here: [link].
Who should apply? Scholars at all ranks and independent writers and critics are encouraged to submit a proposal to present.
Is the symposium hybrid? The symposium is planned as an in-person event. Sessions will be recorded in accordance with the preference of the presenters.
Who can I contact for more information? Please email latinxproject@nyu.edu with subject line: 2025 Symposium.