Artivism conference reimagines futures through art, design and activism

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Artivism Conference 2026 officially opened on 1 October with a call for artists, designers, academics and activists to contribute to more just, inclusive and sustainable futures through creative practice.

Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean of the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design and Conference Chair. Hosted by the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design in collaboration with the University of Johannesburg (UJ), the South African Journal of Art History (SAJAH), the City of Tshwane and the National Arts Council (NAC), the three-day conference, themed Reimagining Futures: Art, Design and Activism in Global Transformations, is taking place at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research International Convention Centre (CSIRICC) in Pretoria.

Bringing together nearly 200 delegates from South Africa and across the globe, the conference provides a platform to explore the transformative role of art, design and creative activism in addressing some of today's most pressing societal challenges.

The conference explores key themes including climate justice, environmental awareness, AI and ethics, digital artivism, decolonial futures, gender justice, healing and reconciliation, urban interventions, community empowerment and emerging approaches to socially engaged creative practice.

ART AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE
Delegates were welcomed by leaders from higher education, government and local government, who reflected on the importance of artivism as a catalyst for change in an increasingly complex world.

Dr Vathiswa Papu-Zamxaka, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement at TUT. Prof Nalini Moodley, Executive Dean of the TUT Faculty of Arts and Design and Conference Chair, said: “We are here not only to discuss artivism, but to build a community and movement of artivists committed to using creative practice to engage with and reimagine our futures in response to the critical issues of our time.”

“Artivism has a long history because injustice has a long history. Wherever power has been exercised unjustly, people have found ways to respond through image, sound, performance, storytelling and other forms of creative expression. What has changed, however, is the speed, reach and technological possibilities through which art can now confront power,” she emphasised.

Dr Vathiswa Papu-Zamxaka, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Engagement at TUT echoed these sentiments: “The arts have never been only about entertainment. When Hugh Masekela played Bring Him Back Home, he was not just making music. He was sounding a trumpet call for Nelson Mandela’s freedom and the world heard it. When Miriam Makeba stood before the United Nations, her voice carried the pain of a nation that had been silenced. When Picasso painted Guernica, he forced the world to look at the horror of war. Art tells the truth when other voices cannot or will not. That is why gatherings like this one matter,” she said.

Prof Pragna Rugunanan, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Humanities at UJ said: “At a time when the value of the humanities and the arts is increasingly questioned in many parts of the world, this conference offers a powerful reminder that these fields remain central to understanding who we are, how we relate to one another and how we respond to crisis. The arts do not merely document the world. They help us interpret it, critique it, and, importantly, reimagine it.” 

“What excites me most about the concept of artivism is that it refuses boundaries. It asks us not only what we create, but why we create. It compels us to think about how our teaching, our research, our artistic practices and our institutions can contribute to broader projects of justice, equity and social change. It encourages us to recognise that knowledge production and creative expression are never neutral activities but are always implicated in shaping the futures we collectively build,” she added.

Prof Pragna Rugunanan, Vice-Dean, Faculty of Humanities at UJ. Speaking on behalf of Minister Gayton McKenzie, Sibusiso Tsanyane, Deputy Director-General: Arts, Culture Promotion and Development at the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, said the Department is pleased to support the conference.

“This important gathering continues the vital work that began in 2024. It brings together people at a time when the intersections of art, activism and technology demand our closest attention. The aims of the conference align closely with those of the Department,” he said.

ARTIVISM OVER TIME
The opening keynote address, Artivism and Voice in the Age of Extinction, was delivered by renowned scholar Prof Liz Gunner.

Her presentation explored the role of voice, storytelling and artistic expression in responding to environmental, social and cultural uncertainty, setting an intellectually stimulating tone for the conference. “I want to pay homage to the idea of art and activism, and to the hope for a new life and a new world,” she said.

Drawing on historical examples of artivism, she reflected on theatre and activism in the 1970s and the work of photographer Omar Badsha, who viewed photography as an art form that enabled people to see and understand the world differently. She also examined artistic responses of the 1990s, particularly the music of Vusi Mahlasela and Busi Mhlongo, describing it as capturing the spirit of its time.

Sibusiso Tsanyane, Deputy Director-General: Arts, Culture Promotion and Development, Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. Turning to contemporary challenges, she explored what it means to be an artivist in an era of climate change, drawing on Robert Macfarlane's book Is a River Alive? to consider the relationship between creativity, activism and the natural world.

A lively panel discussion, facilitated by award-winning playwright and cultural policy activist Mike van Graan, followed the keynote address and explored whether artivism is being practised at the scale required to meet contemporary challenges. The discussion encouraged critical engagement with the intersections of creativity, activism and public life.

The afternoon programme reflected the conference's multidisciplinary character through performances and parallel presentations addressing themes such as climate justice, gender equity, disability, ethical artificial intelligence, multilingual creative practices, healing through the arts and community engagement. Delegates also engaged with innovative research on water justice, sustainable filmmaking, African belonging, trauma recovery, indigenous knowledge systems and representations of women in contemporary media.

CREATIVE PRACTICE IN ACTION
A curated exhibition programme runs throughout the conference, showcasing artworks, design projects and research posters that explore themes of community, healing, identity, social justice and creative activism. Highlights include exhibitions from the TUT Interior Design Light Project and Jewellery Design programme, alongside works by established and emerging artists from South Africa and abroad.

As discussions continue over the next two days, participants can look forward to keynote addresses, performances, fashion showcases and scholarly presentations. Day two will feature a fashion show by TUT's Department of Fashion Design, as well as keynote presentations by artivism scholar and curator Mario Pissarra and multidisciplinary creative activist Cyrus Singh.

The opening keynote address, Artivism and Voice in the Age of Extinction, was delivered by renowned scholar Prof Liz Gunner. The final day of the conference will include a keynote address by Berenike Jung, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Southampton, titled The Presence of Absence and the Limits of Representation: Political Torture and Ethical Questions of Audiovisual Mediation. Film screenings addressing gender-based violence and collective healing, alongside presentations on digital culture, design, architecture, education, fashion and technological futures, also form part of the programme.

The conference will conclude with performances by Dr Roland Moses and Prof Karendra Devroop's Jazz Quartet, followed by a closing address from UJ's Executive Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Kammila Naidoo.

As the conference continues, participants are engaging in critical conversations about the role of creative practice in confronting contemporary challenges and imagining alternative futures. The opening day's discussions affirmed a shared conviction that art and design are not merely reflections of society, but powerful instruments for transformation and social change.

PHOTOS: Vishern Debiky