Street Art Across the Francophone World
(Panel)Carole Salmon (Furman University)
This panel invites presentations around the theme of street art and graffiti practices across the French-speaking world. Even though those practices are almost always considered illegal, they have increasingly become an integral part of a distinct cultural and spatial identity for many cities around the world. Beyond the already very visible and well-documented street art scene of Paris, in France, what are the various topics covered by street artists in the many urban spaces and places that compose the Francophone world, such as Montréal, Dakar or Brussels, to name a few? Who are the most preeminent or the most active francophone street artists? Where do they work? What specific message, role or impact do their street art practices carry in the specific French-speaking society where they were created and where they can be seen? Do all these street art scenes share some common themes across the French-speaking world? What are the differences and similarities of street art across the Francosphère? This panel hopes to shed some light on these topics, and to gather presentations on various aspects of street art across the Francophone world: which role does it plays in a specific French-speaking area’s freedom of speech, which connections may it have with other cultural and artistic practices such as cinema, literature, music, etc.? What role does street art play in the gentrification of certain French-speaking cities’ neighborhoods? How does street art contribute to the touristic attraction of a given French-speaking city?
Please send a 250-word abstract in French or in English as well as a 100-word bio to NeMLA’s online submission system: www.nemla.org (you will need to create your own user account.)
* Deadline for Abstract Submission: 30 September 2023