Territories of Art are places where research meets artistic creation. They are spaces without clearly defined boundaries, whose form transforms with every new question, method, or perspective. Territories of Art has been organized by the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague since 2014 as a platform for the presentation and discussion of current doctoral research at universities of the arts and art history.
The conference arose from the need to create a shared space for doctoral students at art schools, whose research often takes place at the intersection of disciplines, institutions, and established modes of inquiry. Alongside traditional art-historical approaches, the conference also provides a space for artistic research—that is, research conducted through artistic practice itself. Territories of Art have long demonstrated that research through art or by means of art can take many forms—ranging from critical reflection on one’s own work, through experimental methodologies, to performative projects that establish unique modes of knowledge.
Within the context of Czech and Slovak art universities, Territories of Art represent a unique platform of their kind. Each year, they bring together doctoral students across disciplines and institutions, creating a space for sharing ongoing projects, methodological approaches, and research experiences. The conference is not merely a showcase of finished results. An important part of the event is open discussion, critical reflection, and the opportunity to test new ideas in dialogue with the academic community.
The uniqueness of Territories of Art lies in their interdisciplinary nature. As an interdisciplinary conference, it bridges the fields of theater, music, dance, audiovisual and visual arts with theoretical insights. It facilitates the convergence of diverse languages, methods, and experiences that would rarely intersect within individual disciplines. Presentations explore current themes that shape contemporary art and its reflection, while also highlighting values long associated with the AMU environment: openness, experimentation, critical thinking, and a willingness to transcend established boundaries.
Territories of Art is primarily intended for doctoral students at art schools in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, but its program is also relevant for master’s students considering a PhD. in the arts, as well as for academic staff, artists, curators, and the broader professional community. They offer an opportunity to gain insight into the current state of research at art schools, meet a new generation of researchers, and explore topics that will shape the future of art in the coming years.
Territories of Art are not merely a conference on art. It is a place where new ways of thinking about art, research, and society take shape.
Academy of performing arts in Prague
Malostranské náměstí 259/12
118 00 Praha 1
