CFP: Utopia(s) in the Arts and Art Spaces from the 1960s to the Present Day. Paris 02/2027, deadline: 20.10.2026

 CFP: Utopia(s) in the Arts and Art Spaces from the 1960s to the Present Day. Paris 02/2027, deadline: 20.10.2026

In his encyclopaedia of hopes, Bloch presents certain arts (painting, opera, literature and music) as “outlines of a better world” (Bloch, 1959). Art thus contributes to the emergence of utopia by preparing consciousness for it. At the heart of the notion of utopia – from manifestations predating the coining of the term to contemporary realizations – lies a constant questioning of the social status quo and a proposal for alternative societies. Utopia has developed around an evocative poetics that cuts across artistic disciplines. The symbolism constructed by utopia, shaped through artistic manifestations, tends to materialize in its realized counterpart. In this regard, the philosopher Roland Schaer points to the porosity between the literary – or more broadly fictional – counterpart and realized utopian projects. Thus, “utopia is, on the one hand, an imaginary projection into the fictional space created by the text of the narrative; on the other hand, the project it sets forth assumes implementation and as such it veers toward the side of history while simultaneously drawing its sustenance from fiction.” (Schaer, 2000).

The aim of this symposium is to examine the extension of the practice of utopia, both as a fictional genre and as a project, within various artistic manifestations and within art spaces themselves. It will also involve examining discourses on the subject. Indeed, utopia is considered in its transdisciplinary dimension, both from a methodological standpoint and in terms of the arts concerned (visual arts, literature, music, performing arts). The idea of contemporaneity is constitutive of this study, since the goal is to understand the evolution and current relevance of the notion. Proposals must focus on works or projects dating from after the 1960s, a decade that marked a significant renewal of utopia in light of its penetration into institutional critique and its echoes in the formation of counterculture. Across various artistic forms, utopia has been reconceptualized to push the limits of bourgeois institutions, reinvent the relationship between art and the public, and contribute to the upheaval of society.

The symposium invites contributions along the following lines of inquiry:

Axis 1 – Naming Utopia: Vocabulary and Interdisciplinary Typology

- epistemology of utopian terminology

- language shared across fields

- disciplinary differences and nuances

- common core underlying recourse to utopia

Axis 2 – Utopia as an Artistic Apparatus Presenting an Alternative to the World of Reference

- forms of the utopian work: literal apparatus / conceptual apparatus

- evolution and persistence of topoi, particularly uses of space

- “war of imaginaries”

- updating of utopian motifs (communities, emotions, identities, individualities, the living world…)

Axis 3 – Utopian Materializations: Spaces and Practices of Art

- art spaces: planned, transitory or realized; spaces of representation/display, dissemination, experimentation, pedagogy, resistance

- spatial practices and “utopian” discourses in the art and architecture of art places

- experimental practices and modes of artistic organization

Submission Guidelines

Proposals from researchers at all career stages (including Ph.D. students) are welcome, as are those from artists and practitioners of utopia.

Paper proposals, written in French or English, should not exceed 400 words (excluding bibliography) and must be accompanied by a short biographical note. They should be sent by 20 October 2026 to the following address: JEUtopieArts@protonmail.com

Applicants will be notified of the outcome, following review of the proposals, by the end of November.

Organizing Committee

Clara Cazaubiel (PhD candidate in Museum Studies, CERLIS, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle)

Camille Lucot (PhD candidate in Comparative Literature, LISAA, Université Gustave Eiffel)

Adrian Wetter (PhD candidate in Film Studies, THALIM, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, and Universität Kassel, Germany)

Scientific Committee

Antoine de Baecque (Professor of Film Studies, ARTS, Ecole Normale Superieure)

Irène Langlet (Professor of Comparative Literature, LISAA, Université Gustave Eiffel)

François Mairesse (Professor of Museum Studies, CERLIS, Université Sorbonne Nouvelle)