Artists from across the globe will gather in Â鶹´«Ã½AV for a new conference examining how migration, mobility and belonging are reshaping modern art and culture.
16 April 2026
Can art help us better understand migration and identity? That is the driving question behind ‘Art that Moves’, an international conference curated University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV academic and artist, , bringing together leading creative voices from across the world to explore how movement between cultures, countries and communities is reshaping the production, exhibition and understanding of art in the 21st century.
The conference which will be hosted at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV’s City campus on Thursday 23 April, forms part of a week-long programme spanning the University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV and Central Saint Martins in London. It will feature talks, screenings, workshops and a pop-up exhibition designed to explore perceptions of belonging, displacement and cultural re-framing.
A scene from Parwana Haydar's film, House of History 2025
Through film, visual presentation and discussion, ‘Art that Moves’ will shine a light on the often-overlooked personal, political and emotional realities behind migration, asking audiences to consider how stories of human connection in the age of Artificial Intelligence, influence the way art is made, exhibited and understood in an increasingly interlinked world.
The programme will feature internationally recognised voices including award-winning Danish Trinidadian artist, Jeannette Ehler, whose work addresses questions around race, colonialism, and the Black history in Denmark, and Alessio Antoniolli the Director of international art collective, Triangle Network. It will also feature London-based filmmaker, Parwana Haydar whose work focuses on memory, displacement, specifically about the Afghan diaspora, Whiskey Chow whose work explores queer Southeast Asian diasporic perspectives, and a host of others.
Dr King, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV School of Art and Media, said: “We are bringing together artists and thinkers whose practices challenge rigid ideas of identity, belonging and artistic production, creating space for vital conversations around how contemporary art can better reflect more complex understandings of identity. ‘Art that Moves’ asks how the realities of migration, and cultural mobility are changing not only the way art is made, but the way it is understood, curated and shared globally via the different art worlds.”
Alongside the conference, students, alumni and doctoral researchers from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV and Central Saint Martins will present original works in a collaborative exhibition responding to the theme of the conference, offering an insight into how the next generation of artists are grappling with issues of migration and identity in their own creative practices.
PhD student at the School of Art and Media, Jennifer Jones, whose work will be on show at the programme, said: “I have thoroughly relished the opportunity to take part in the Art That Moves project and I have learnt a lot. I’ve particularly enjoyed being part of a group working together towards a common goal with dedicated guidance.”
With free public sessions available, ‘Art that Moves’ is open to all especially audiences from across the creative industries, academia and the thriving arts scene across Â鶹´«Ã½AV and London. You can here.
This work is funded by the University of Â鶹´«Ã½AV and the Impact Acceleration Account.
Senior Lecturer – School of Art and Media
Centre for Arts and Wellbeing, Space and Place Research Excellence Group
School of Art and Media