AICA International

19/08/2026

AICA DENMARK APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT

AICA International congratulates Stine Lundberg Hansen on her appointment as the new President of AICA Denmark.

Stine Lundberg Hansen is an independent curator, writer and art critic living in Denmark. Her work is primarily focused on marginalisation, resilience and colonialism, particularly Denmark’s colonial history with Greenland/Kalaallit Nunaat and the North Atlantic.

For the past decade, she has worked with and on the Kalaallit/Greenlandic art scene. From 2015 to 2021, she lived in Nuuk in Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland with her family, where she worked as a museum curator at Nuuk Art Museum and as co-editor and writer for the arts and culture magazine Neriusaaq.

In 2021, she and her family settled in the south of Denmark, where she currently works with land, soil, colonialism and art histories, engaging with a local art milieu outside Copenhagen. Since 2021, she has curated a number of exhibitions, events and talks for the North Atlantic House in Copenhagen, focusing on art and artists connected to the art scenes of the North Atlantic, primarily Kalaallit Nunaat/Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Her work also examines colonial ties and structures within and between societies, art scenes and art histories.

We wish Stine every success as she begins her term as President of AICA Denmark.

17/08/2026

AICA E-MAG NO.20 IS HERE!

The new issue brings together essays and reviews that look at how art, criticism and cultural history are shaped by politics, identity, interpretation and changing social contexts, spanning historical subjects, contemporary practice and major exhibitions.

New issue available on our website: https://aicainternational.news/issue-20

14/08/2026

AICA CHILE APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT

AICA International congratulates Henry Serrano on his appointment as the new President of AICA Chile.

Henry Serrano is a cultural manager, independent curator, researcher and art critic with an established career developing projects related to contemporary art, heritage management, and the relationship between culture, place and community. His work has focused on creating and directing initiatives that encourage dialogue between artistic practices, public space and processes of social transformation.

He has been involved in organising exhibitions, curatorial programmes, international gatherings and cultural cooperation projects, helping to strengthen networks between artists, institutions and civil society organisations. He is responsible for reviving the Valparaíso International Arts Biennial.

His interest in the relationships between art, memory, technology and citizenship has led him to develop research and projects exploring contemporary cultural challenges. He is currently working on initiatives aimed at strengthening Valparaíso’s artistic and cultural ecosystem, with both national and international reach.

We wish Henry every success as he begins his term as President of AICA Chile.

05/08/2026

STATEMENT AGAINST THE FLAG DESECRATION LAW IN JAPAN

AICA International joins the art community and civil society of Japan in calling for the urgent repeal of the controversial Flag Desecration Law, passed by the Japanese Diet in July 2026. The law criminalises public damage or defilement of the Japanese flag and has been widely opposed because of the threat it poses to freedom of speech.

Legal experts in Japan have raised concerns about the law’s lack of clarity over what constitutes an offence, and the use of public “discomfort” and “disgust” as grounds for prosecution. These ambiguities could have serious implications for freedom of expression, which is protected by Article 21 of the Constitution of Japan.

The Hinomaru has also been widely used by Japanese artists as a symbol of dissent and defiance. Under the Flag Desecration Law, both existing and future artworks could be vulnerable to censorship, while artists themselves could face legal action for exercising their artistic freedom.

Japan is bound by international agreements protecting freedom of expression and cultural and creative activity, including the ICCPR and ICESCR. AICA urges legislators in the Diet to withdraw the Flag Desecration Law and uphold these protections, including the freedom of artists to create and express themselves.

Read the full statement on the AICA International website: https://aicainternational.news/agora/2026/8/3/statement-against-the-flag-desecration-law-in-japan

04/08/2026

This October, AICA’s international community will come together in Rennes for the 58th AICA International Congress, hosted by AICA-France from 12 to 16 October 2026, followed by a post-Congress programme on 17 October.

This year’s Congress will focus on Art criticism and eco-socially engaged practices: new forms of writing, new challenges? Following an international call that received nearly 170 proposals, the symposium will feature around 30 presentations from across the world.

The programme will also include round-table discussions, lectures, awards, performances, exhibition visits and artists’ open studios across Rennes and the surrounding area.

View the detailed preliminary programme on our website: https://aicainternational.news/upcoming-congress

03/08/2026

AICA International congratulates John B. Ravenal on his appointment as the new President of AICA-USA.

John B. Ravenal is an independent curator and art historian. He served as Executive Director of deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum from 2015–20. From 1998–2015, he was the Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Before that, he was Associate Curator of 20th-Century Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where he worked from 1991–98.

Ravenal earned his MA and MPhil in art history from Columbia University. He served as the fourth President of the Association of Art Museum Curators; was a Fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership; and was a member of the Association of Art Museum Directors. In addition to AICA-USA, he currently serves on the boards of the Institute for Contemporary Art, Richmond and the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia.

We wish John every success as he takes on the presidency of AICA-USA.

31/07/2026

AICA International congratulates Cristian Nae on his appointment as the new President of AICA Romania.

Cristian Nae is professor of aesthetics and contemporary art history at the Faculty of Visual Arts and Design, „George Enescu” National University of the Arts, Iasi, Romania, where he also leads the Institute for Multidisciplinary Research in the Arts. His research focuses on comparative exhibition histories, critical art practices in socialism and post-socialism and the politics of aesthetics.

He has held research grants and fellowships from institutions including the Erste Foundation, the Romanian National Research Council, the CAA-Getty International Program, the Getty Foundation and the New Europe College Institute for Advanced Studies, Bucharest. His recent research has appeared in journals including Third Text and ARTMargins, as well as in numerous international publications on modern and contemporary art in Central and Eastern Europe.

He curated the Romanian Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale and has edited and co-edited several major publications on Romanian art and exhibition histories.

We wish Cristian every success in leading AICA Romania in the years ahead.

20/07/2026

A new issue of AICA PRÓXIMA QUARTERLY is here!

No. 13: Regional Art Criticism in the Technocene Era explores how Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies are reshaping art criticism from a Latin American and Caribbean perspective. The issue considers the relationship between the “technocene” and the ethics of the image, asking how criticism can respond to the technological systems that now shape the production and circulation of images.

It also includes updates on the milestones and activities organised during the first four months of 2026 by members of ten of the twelve sections working with the AICA Regional Secretariat.

The publication is free and available in English and Spanish on our website: https://aicainternational.news/agora/2026/2/9/aica-proxima-no-13

08/07/2026

Call for Contributions: Ethical Principles for Museum Collections

How can museums strengthen the ethical governance of their collections?

CIMAM, the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art, and its Museum Watch Committee, invites museum professionals worldwide to contribute to a new international research initiative exploring ethical principles for building and maintaining museum collections through processes of acquisition, accessioning, safeguarding, and caretaking.
Your professional experience will help shape an ethical framework and shared vocabulary for museums internationally.

Survey: approximately 5 minutes

Deadline: 1 September 2026 (08:00 CEST)

🔗 https://cimam.org/museum-watch/call-for-contributions-ethical-principles-for-museum-collections/

CIMAM's Museum Watch Committee (MW) is launching a new research initiative to develop a framework of ethical principles to guide building and maintaining a museum collection through processes of acquisition, accessioning, safeguarding, and caretaking, which can translate across a wide range of socio...

06/07/2026

OPEN CALL: BRIDGES Research Residency Programme

AICA International and the Cité internationale des arts invite applications for BRIDGES, a research residency programme for art critics working and living outside mainland France.

The programme supports research projects in art criticism while encouraging mobility, exchange and engagement with the French art, critical and curatorial scenes. Residents will be able to draw on the resources and working environments of the Cité internationale des arts, the INHA and the AICA archives at the Archives de la Critique d’Art in Rennes.

Selected residents will receive tailored support in relation to their research interests, alongside access to professional networks and public programme opportunities.

The residency includes:
• A live-in studio at the Marais site of the Cité internationale des arts
• A monthly stipend of €1,000
• Round-trip international travel costs covered up to €1,000
• Professional networking and public programme opportunities

Applicants must have at least five years’ professional experience in art criticism, be current AICA members and reside outside mainland France. Collective applications are not eligible.

Deadline: 30 August 2026

Learn more and apply via the AICA website: https://aicainternational.news/agora/2026/7/6/open-call-bridges-residency