Motion: Transformation
35th Congress of the International Committee of the History of Arts. Florence, 1-6 September 2019. Congress Proceedings. 2 vols.
Edited by Marzia Faietti, Gerhard Wolf
For the first time in the history of the CIHA, one of the international congresses, held every four years, was organized by two countries. In fact, Brazil and Italy have collaborated in organising the XXXV congress, dividing it into two parts (Florence, 6-9 September 2019; São Paulo, 17-21 January 2022). The overall title Motion has pushed the focus in the direction of a transcultural or global art history, so strongly debated in recent years, and on processes, dynamics and trajectories in time and space. Motion was to be addressed in two different, but interconnected perspectives, discussed in the two respective venues in Florence and Sao Paulo: Transformation and Migrations.
Transformation is at the base of artistic creation, it means the entanglement of materials, techniques and forms, it involves the lives or biographies of artefacts. Under these premises, the Florentine venue has discussed their material, environmental, institutional, social, political and religious transformations over time and regarding all kinds of itineraries. It has been organized in nine sections, the last being dedicated to Voyage, involving both transformation and migration. The proceedings of the Florentine venue, published in two volumes by Bologna University Press, demonstrate the ability of art history and that of scholars from highly diverse cultural backgrounds to develop innovative perspectives and discuss contributions the field can provide for a sustainable future for the planet.