48th Annual Graduate Symposium at the University of British Columbia
Navigating the Image Toward and Beyond Representation: Meditations on the Role of Mimetic Representation in the Formation of the Object of Art Historical Inquiry
“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” –Aristotle
“Truly visible things are manifest images of invisible things.” –Pseudo-Dionysus
The Department of Art History, Visual Art & Theory at the University of British Columbia invites graduate students to submit abstracts for the annual AHVA Graduate Symposium. The theme for this year will be titled “Navigating the Image Toward and
Beyond Representation: Meditations on the Role of Mimetic Representation in the Formation of the Object of Art Historical Inquiry.”
The symposium will focus on reevaluating the historiographical legacy of aesthetic theories concerning mimetic representation. We invite graduate students in any art historical specialization, as well as graduate students in parallel fields, such as aesthetic philosophy or literary studies (among others), to submit abstracts. Potential papers could focus on the development of mimesis as a concept, the effect of Western theories of mimetic representation on our scholarly approach to art objects inside or outside of Europe, or an exploration of representational modes from any period of art history that aspires to something beyond, or totally different from, mimesis. Other topics could include tying the concept of mimesis to the development of linear perspective, orientalism, the legacy of formalism in art history, or the emergence of photography. We encourage submissions from graduate students studying any period or part of the world. Participants will be eligible to publish their papers as conference proceedings in our graduate research journal, WRECK.
Submission Guidelines
• Abstract should include a title and not exceed 300 words
• Name and academic affiliation should be included
Deadline: May 5, 2025
Notification of acceptance by May 19, 2025
Symposium Dates: October 30-31, 2025
• Presentations will not run longer than 20 minutes
• The symposium will be in-person
Please send abstracts and any further inquiries to grad.symposium@ubc.ca
