Frontlines of Engagement – Conference 2027 – An Assembly on Art in a World Shaped by Conflict

10. February – 13. February 2027 at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) 

Frontlines of Engagement brings together people who work with the arts in diverse conflict settings, engaging with questions of peace, justice, and social transformation. Organised by artasfoundation in partnership with Artlink and Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the three-day practice-based conference creates a space for around 120 artists, researchers, development institutions, peacebuilders and mediators as well as professionals from international and development cooperation to exchange ideas, critically reflect and learn from one another about the possibilities and limitations of artistic practice in a world shaped by conflict. 

Frontlines of Engagement is situated in a transversal space between art, peacebuilding, international and development cooperation, humanitarian work, and cultural research. It brings together practitioners whose paths may not often cross, yet who share deep concern and engagement for contexts shaped by conflict. 

The assembly aims to build an experience-based, practice-driven body of knowledge about transdisciplinary approaches, acknowledging that the most urgent insights often emerge from lived encounters, relational processes, and collective reflections. By coming together, Frontlines of Engagement invites participants to jointly trace the ethical, aesthetic, and practical dimensions of art initiatives within and across conflicts. Additionally, the conference will explore methods of dealing with rooted and emerging challenges with the aim to collectively understand global developments and the transformative role of art in a world shaped by conflict.