Artivism Conference Focuses on Arts, Design & Artivism in Global Transformation

The Faculty of Arts and Design at TUT, in collaboration with the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH) and the City of Tshwane (CoT) proudly announces the Artivism Conference 2026

Reimagining Futures, Arts, Design & Artivism in Global Transformation.

The term artivism is used in many creative disciplines to describe how art and design serve as tools for social and political change. It often refers to the complex relationships between creative practice and activism, with practitioners extending these ideas to challenge traditional distinctions between aesthetic work and political action.

Contemporary artists and designers are increasingly combining activism with creative practice, making artivism a process of social engagement rather than fixed cultural production. In the context of the Global South, artivism demonstrates how creative practice can address both colonial legacies and contemporary challenges, generating new approaches to community engagement and social change.

Artivism has gained traction in the creative disciplines, particularly in relation to decolonial practice, digital activism and community-led interventions. The rise of digital technologies has foregrounded artivism as a site of complex relationships, where creative practice and political action are in constant negotiation.

The 2026 conference, building on the 2024 conference, now aims to explore these relationships and connections to reveal the richness of contemporary artivism. In the spirit of creative curiosity, we ask that papers, demonstrations, displays, performances and panel discussions focus on questions and provocations while also guiding the way forward. We welcome practice-based research and hope that the conference will be a platform for creative knowledge exchange.

For more information, please visit www.tutfadshowcase.ac.za or www.tutfadshowcase.ac.za/artivism-conference-2026-call-for-participation