Symposium "Contemporary Art and Folklore: Unlocking the Underworld"

May 7-8, 2026 

Venue: Estonian Academy of Arts, Room A501 

The symposium aims to explore how references to the mythological underworld engender, maintain, and revitalize the politics of cultural and social critique in contemporary art of the past three decades (post 1991). The focus of the project is the representation and interpretation of chthonic elements, such as devils, spirits, witches and other beings – human or non-human –, associated with the underworld, the subterranean, the primal grounds of being in Baltic folklore and other cultural landscapes.  

The participants of the symposium will be exploring how the employment of these elements in contemporary art has contributed to the development of a new body of socio-political knowledge, including sensitivity, awareness, and insight into a range of urgent issues such as gender inequality, racism, the climate crisis, consumerism, and gentrification. The “underworld contemporary art” engages uncanny imagery and occult allure to attract and engage audiences, challenging the status quo while fostering debate that promotes social change, reinforces democratic values, and cultivates inclusive and safe societies. 

The project is organized by Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art, Latvia in collaboration with Estonian Academy of Arts, Estonia. Project authors: Dr. Toms Ķencis, Dr. Jana Kukaine, Dr. Ieva Melgalve and doctoral student Maija Rudovska. Supported by Latvian Council of Science “Contemporary Art and Folklore: Unlocking the Underworld” (UNART) (lzp-2024/1-0479) 

Visual design: Liana Mihailova 

Everyone is welcome to attend. For the workshops, please register under this link: https://forms.gle/jPLYsRJbSYv6FPSf6