Join us for a powerful and timely online conference that brings together artists, curators, scholars, and cultural workers from around the globe to critically examine the structures, narratives, and power dynamics that continue to shape the global art world.

“Reclaiming Cultural Roots” seeks to open a necessary dialogue on decolonization, questioning who gets to make art, who gets to define its value, and who is represented and remembered.

As the world reckons with its colonial past and present, this event aims to spotlight voices and practices that resist, reimagine, and redefine the cultural landscape. From challenging Eurocentric aesthetics to dismantling institutional gatekeeping, we invite you to explore how decolonial strategies are shaping the future of art.

This webinar conference is open to artists, activists, students, researchers, and anyone invested in cultural equity and transformation.

 

Click here to register at the webinar!!

Program ( click here to download in pdf )

CENTRAL EUROPE TIMEZONE (CET)

Day 1 Friday – 22/05/2026 

14:00 – 14:10	Opening Remarks (moderator)
14:10 – 14:30	Prof. Lurdes Macedo (Portugal)	Colonial Archives against themselves: A          Tendency to Forget
14:35 – 14:55	Mariam El Marakesy	Decolonising the Local Museum: Rewriting Institutional Narratives through Ethical and Multicultural Storytelling Practices
15:00 – 15:20	Ekin Berk Polat (Bodrum, Mugla)	Commemorating Otherwise: Indigenous Contemporary Art, Survivance, and Decolonial Futures
15:20 – 15:40	Break	20 minutes
15:40 – 16:00	Sierra Kinsey Lawton (US)	Accessible Photogrammetry: Take Back Your History!
16:05 – 16:25	Catherine Vecchione (Spain)	The Funding Gap in Decolonisation: Goals of Mission-driven in Arts Organisations
16:30 – 17:00	Speakers Panel Q&A	All Day 1 – Speakers

DAY 2  SATURDAY – 23/05/2026 

14:00 – 14:10	Recap Day 1 and Opening Remarks (moderator)
14:10 – 14:30	Awuor Onyango (Kenya)	The Museum of Lived Art: From Repatriation to Narrative Sovereignty
14:35 – 14:55	Wilfried Boko (Republic of Benin)	Decolonising Museums: From Colonial Heritage to Community Power
15:00 – 15:20	Miracle May (South Africa)	Artist Representation and Market Access: A Case Study of Jeke Art and the Career Development of Peter Jeke
15:30 – 15:50	Break	20 minutes
16:00 – 16:20	Gabriela Perez Valle (Malta/Mexico)	Empowering Education for Heritage Decolonisation: The Cases of Zapatismo and Heritage Communities in Southern Mexico
16:25 – 16:45	Victor Tuon Murari	Indigenous Art and Narrative Authority: Curatorial Practice and Narrative Sovereignty
16:50 – 17:20	Closing Panel + Discussion	All Day 2 – Speakers

 

Click here to register at the webinar!!

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Why This Conversation Matters: Centering Artists and Communities Globally

The conversation around the decolonization of the art world is both urgent and globally relevant. For centuries, artistic traditions across many regions have been commodified, misrepresented, and extracted without consent. From looted artifacts displayed in major museums to the marginalization of non-Western artistic philosophies in academic institutions, the legacy of colonialism continues to shape how art is seen, valued, and contextualized worldwide.

Today, artists and communities across the globe are reclaiming their narratives. Through their work, they resist imposed identities and challenge reductive frameworks—reframing their cultures not as static or “exotic,” but as dynamic, complex, and forward-looking.

Talking about these themes is crucial because:

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Restoring Historical Justice
Colonial systems stripped many communities of their cultural heritage, both physically (through looting) and symbolically (through the devaluation of knowledge systems). Reclaiming that history is a vital step toward accountability, healing, and justice.

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Empowering Diverse Voices in the Global Narrative
Artists from historically marginalized regions have often been interpreted through dominant Western frameworks rather than being recognized on their own terms. Decolonization shifts authority back to artists and communities, allowing them to define their own narratives and contexts.

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Challenging Tokenism and Gatekeeping
While global art scenes have become more inclusive in appearance, representation is often selective or superficial. Meaningful change requires dismantling systems that tokenize artists and exclude local voices from curatorial, institutional, and academic decision-making.

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Supporting Local Cultural Ecosystems
A decolonized approach prioritizes sustainable creative ecosystems within local contexts—where artists are not compelled to migrate or conform to external expectations to succeed, but can thrive within their own cultural, social, and economic environments.

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Reimagining Art Institutions
Across the world, artist-led and community-centered institutions are redefining what art spaces can be—grounded in local knowledge, collective memory, and experimentation. These models offer critical alternatives and valuable lessons for the global art world.

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Cultural Sovereignty and Identity
For many communities, art is inseparable from history, spirituality, language, and identity. Decolonizing art affirms the right of people to represent themselves, preserve their knowledge systems, and honor their cultural inheritances through creative expression.

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If you want, I can also make it more academic, more activist in tone, or shorter for a proposal or exhibition text.