Call for Papers / ARTMargins Online

Note: Authors thinking of submitting an article, document, or artist project to ARTMargins Online (AMO) should bear in mind that ARTMargins has an independent print outlet, ARTMargins Print Journal. If you would be interested in expanding your submission to AMO into a full-length academic article, or contributing to one of the other formats published by the Print Journal, please let the editors know in a note accompanying your submission.

AMO encourages authors to take advantage of the possibilities offered by an open-access online publication, and consider submitting podcasts, video interviews, and other online projects that are not possible in print. AMO invites submissions that explore the following frameworks and topics, among others:

• Contemporary art that analyzes political, social, and cultural conditions in East-Central Europe in a comparative frame, drawing connections across global geographies;
• The experiences and legacies of socialism and post-socialism, and the ways these experiences connect with global histories, including that of colonialism and post-colonialism;
• Contemporary artistic practices that explore or are informed by migration, exile, and movements across and between borders;
• Artistic critiques of neoliberalism and resurgent nationalism that highlight the transnational and global character of these ideologies;
• New artistic or curatorial approaches to the question of ‘marginal’ cultural geographies that destabilize traditional approaches to the center/periphery divide;
• Contemporary art that explores the intersecting meanings of marginalization, critiquing institutional and social inequities based on gender, race, class, abilities, citizenship, and other factors;
• The multiple legacies of empire and colonialism in East-Central Europe, and the ways empire has shaped cultural and political definitions of the region

Book Review Submissions

AMO welcomes the submission of review essays focused on recent scholarly and critical publications related to postwar and contemporary art in Eastern and Central Europe. We also encourage book reviews that consider texts with a different or broader geographic focus, but that emphasize the significance of this scholarship for understanding art from East-Central Europe through a critical global lens. We are especially interested in reviews that focus on recent books published in languages other than English, which may not be widely known outside a specific national or regional context. Book reviews are usually between 1500–2500 words. Authors may propose specific book reviews, or alert the editors to their interest to be considered as a book reviewer in the future. 

Exhibition Review Submissions

AMO welcomes the submission of review essays focused on current and very recent exhibitions and art events (such as biennials and occasionally symposia or other gatherings). We publish on exhibitions that feature the work of postwar and contemporary artists from our region of emphasis, as well as globally-minded exhibitions that include artists from the region, or that explore themes that are urgent and relevant for a global art history of Eastern and Central Europe. We also sometimes publish reviews of exhibitions that take place within the region–even if their focus is elsewhere–if they contribute significantly to understanding links between regional and global art histories. AMO publishes reviews that critically explore both the successes and the failures or struggles that emerge from exhibitions. We prioritize close readings of exhibitions and of specific works within them, rather than sweeping overviews of shows. Exhibition reviews are usually between 2000–2500 words. 

Interview Submissions

AMO publishes interviews with contemporary artists and curators, most often focused on urgent questions of artistic or curatorial practice in the context of postsocialism or global neoliberal capitalism. We aim for our interviews to do more than promote recent work by the interviewees–they should be deep and critical conversations that examine challenges, consider multiple perspectives, and nuance our understanding of art being produced and exhibited today. Interviews for AMO are typically between 2000–2500 words.

Article Submissions

AMO publishes short articles and essays related to the postwar and contemporary art of East-Central Europe, considered in a global context. The editors are particularly interested in submissions that consider the sociocultural, political, and theoretical contexts of works of art or particular artists’ practices. We welcome attention to the work of artists and art thinkers from historically marginalized groups, and/or artists who work outside of English-speaking and official circuits. Article and essay submissions should be between 3000 and 5000 words (footnotes inclusive). Ideally submissions should be written with a broad readership in mind, and use footnotes judiciously for citations. 

“One on One” Series Submissions

AMO and ARTMargins Print Journal jointly publish an special interview series entitled “One on One,” which presents timely interviews or discussions between scholars or critics and contemporary artists, with the conversation focused on exploring a single work of art by the artist. Contributions to this series for AMO should not exceed 2000 words.

“In View” Series Submissions

AMO publishes a series of short essays focused on important artworks from the modern history of East-Central Europe that have been overlooked by prevailing art historical narratives. Authors in the series select a single work that has been ignored in broader histories of global modernism or regional cultural histories, and offer a rich and close reading of that work, highlighting its nuance and import. Texts in the “In View” series will vary widely in their geographic and chronological purview, but they all develop an argument for a specific work’s significance through a detailed examination of its genesis, context, material and formal qualities, and/or reception. Introducing a new set of richly invigorating points of reference and contrasting narratives, “In View” aims to broaden our understanding of the modern art history of East-Central Europe’s (former) peripheries and overlooked centers.