Events / Talks
Video/audio recordings of events, where available, have been linked to entries.
2023
Keynote: Decolonising Machine Vision, Aksioma, Ljubljana, 06/03/2023
Book Launch: Topologies of Air (Ed. A. Downey, 2022), Imperial War Museum, London, 10/02/2023
2022
New Journal: Memory, Mind and Media (Cambridge University Press), 02/02/2022
2021
Symposium: Archiving Future Knowledge Systems, Online Panel Discussion, 27/05/21
Symposium: Witness Statements and Technologies of Memory, Online Panel Discussion, 13/05/21
Seminar: War and Aesthetics: The Future of Death. Algorithmic Anxieties and Programmable Destruction, Online presentation, Royal Danish Library and live-streamed via Facebook, 23-24/09/21
2020
Launch of the Journal of Digital War (Palgrave/ Macmillan, 2020), Mosaic Rooms, London, 2020/04/11
Book Publication: Heba Y. Amin: The General’s Stork (Sternberg Press, 2020), Mosaic Rooms, London, 2020/07/10
Book Launch and Talk: The Matter of Critique, Tate Liverpool, April 30, 2020
Book Launch: Research/Practice 02: Heba Y Amin: The General’s Stork, HKW, Berlin, April 16, 2020
2019
Public Talk: “Beyond the Arab Uprisings: Cultural Activism and the Rise of Digital Authoritarianism in a Post-Truth Age”, Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies, University of Copenhagen, December 12, 2019
Lecture and PhD Workshop: “The Politics of Visual Culture in the Middle East and Global South”, Graduate School, Arts at Aarhus University, December 10, 2019
Public Talk: “Performing Rights”, Institute for Global Prosperity, UCL, London, 14 November, 2019
Public Talk: Trevor Paglen in conversation with Anthony Downey, Barbican Centre, London, 26 September, 2019
Keynote: “The Future of the Networked Image: Digital Archives in a ‘Post Truth’ Age”, Irish Museum of Modern Art Summer School, Dublin, June 11, 2019
Public Talk: Performing Rights, TrAIN Open Lecture, UAL, London, 24 Apr 2019
Public Talk: “Applied Futures”, The (Networked) Image in Conflict: Cultural Activism and Visual Culture, Modern Art Oxford, April 4, 2019
Conference Paper: “Conditions of Possibility”, The Midlands Higher Education and Culture Forum, March 27, 2019
Keynote: Applied Futures: Digital Archives in a “Post Truth” Age, Archive Kabinett Berlin/Silent Green Kulturquartier, Berlin, January 26, 2019
Public Talk: Was I sleeping, while the others suffered: Contemporary Art, the Refugee Condition, and the Alibi of Engagement, ifa, Berlin, January 28, 2019
2018
Keynote: The (Networked) Image in Conflict: Digital Archives and the Dilemma of Evidence, ICPT Conference, Nicosia, Nov 24, 2018
Lecture: “Performing Rights”, Eastside Projects, Birmingham, 13 June, 2018
Public Talk: “Unconformities: Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige in conversation with Anthony Downey”, Acropolis Museum, Athens, 30 April, 2018
Talk: “The Future of Image Production in the Middle East”, Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, 13 February, 2018
Lecture: “Who Benefits from the Work of Art: Political Exceptionalism and the Refugee Condition”, V-A-C Foundation, Moscow, 20 January, 2018
2017
In Conversation: Ai Weiwei and Anthony Downey, FOMU, Antwerp, 25 October, 2017
In Conversation: John Akomfrah and Anthony Downey, Barbican Centre, London, 12 October, 2017
Paper: “The Future of Image Production: Hermeneutic Suspicions and Neoliberal Conundrums”, Producing Image Activism after the Arab Uprisings Conference, University of Stockholm, 6-8 September 2017
Paper: “The Archive as Alibi”, (W)archives Conference, University of Copenhagen, 21-22 August, 2017
Keynote Paper: “Performing Rights: The Subject of Injustice and the Cultural Logic of Late Modernity”, Art, Justice and Terrorism, a one-day conference, Imperial War Museum, London, June 17, 2017
Chair: “Representing the Artist”, Survival of the Artist, a one-day symposium at the British Museum, London, 2 July, 2017
Paper: Instrumental Visions: Neoliberalism, Cultural Institutions and Cultural Policy in the Middle East, Westminster University, London, 21 April, 2017
Richard Mosse in conversation with Anthony Downey, Barbican Centre, London, 20 February, 2017
Book Launch: Future Imperfect at Delfina Foundation, London 22 February, 2017
2016
Lecture: Qalandiya International Symposium, Mosaic Rooms, London, Saturday 29 October, 2016
Larissa Sansour in conversation with Anthony Downey, Mosaic Rooms, London, Wednesday 6 July, 19:00
Chair: “Magnum Photos Presents On Migration”, Barbican Centre, London, 14 June, 2016, 19:00
Conference Paper: Terrorism and Cultural Freedom Conference, Birmingham City University, 7 June, 2016, 9:00 – 18:00
Lecture: “Hermeneutic Suspicion: Digital Archiving, Conflict and Cultural Production in the Middle East” University of Sussex, Brighton, Tuesday 16 February.
In conversation: John Akomfrah and Anthony Downey, Arnolfini, Bristol, Saturday 16 January 2016, 11:00-12:30
2015
Downey, Anthony, Institut d’Etudes Supérieures des Arts: Performance Art and Public Space, Leighton House Museum, London, 3 November 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Challenges of a Shared World: New Media and Social Networks”, University of Oxford, Oxford, 25 October 2015. More info here
Downey, Anthony, “AICA: London Congress Symposium: Who Cares? Value, Veneration and Criticality”, Royal College of Art, London, 27 October 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Critical Conundrums and Curatorial Imperatives”, 30th Annual SAVAH Conference: Power and Visual Culture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 11 September 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Book Launch: Dissonant Archives: Contemporary Visual Culture and Contested Narratives in the Middle East” (I.B. Tauris), Rivington Place, London, 10 September 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Book Launch: Dissonant Archives: Contemporary Visual Culture and Contested Narratives in the Middle East” (I.B. Tauris), SALT Galata, Istanbul, 5 September 2015
Downey, Anthony. “Edinburgh International Book Festival: Art on the Attack” Garden Theatre, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, 28 August 2015
Downey, Anthony. “JAOU Tunis 2015: Visual Culture In An Age Of Global Conflict” National Museum of Bardo in Tunis, Tunisia, 28-30 May 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Launch Of Dissonant Archives: Contemporary Visual Culture And Contested Narratives In The Middle East” (I.B. Tauris) Musee Bardo, Tunis, 30 May 2015.
Downey, Anthony. “Hermeneutic Suspicion, Digital Technology, And The Crisis Of Representation In The Middle East”, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 14 April 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Book Launch: Mirrors For Princes: Both Sides of the Tongue”, Art Dubai, Dubai, 19 March 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Art and Politics Now: Renzo Martens in Conversation with Anthony Downey”, Tate Modern, London, 16 March 2015
Downey, Anthony, “Publishing Online Digitised Catalogues: A Case Study (Ibraaz and The Jerusalem Show)”, The Jerusalem Show Conference, SALT, Istanbul, 17-18 February 2015
2014
Downey, Anthony, “Art and Politics Now”, London School of Economics, 13 October 2014
Downey, Anthony, “Digital Media, New Media and Online Publishing in the Middle East”, Critical Machines Conference, American University of Beirut, 6-9 March 2014
Downey, Anthony, “Digital Networks: Contemporary Art Institutions in the Middle East”, Dar El Hekma University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 14-16 February 2014
2013
Downey, Anthony, “Future Imperfect: Cultural Propositions and Global Perspectives”, Tate Modern, 9 November 2013
Downey, Anthony, “What Can Art Do: Knowledge Production and Distribution in the Middle East and Public Sphere”, Museum Infrastructure and Domestic Support SOAS, Regional vis-à-vis Global Discourses, Contemporary Art from the Middle East at the London Middle East Institute Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre, 5 July 2013
Downey, Anthony, “Digitised Conflict: Wafaa Bilal in conversation with Anthony Downey”, Winchester School of Art, Global Futures, The Mosaic Rooms, London, June 2013
2012
Downey, Anthony, “Power, Knowledge and Patronage in the Context of Civil Society in the MENA Region”, Art and Patronage Summit, Royal College of Arts, 13 January 2012
2011
Downey, Anthony, Keynote Address ‘Create and Voluntary Arts Ireland: Arts and Civil Society Symposium’ Triskel Arts Centre, Ireland, 20 October 2011
Downey, Anthony, “All that Fits: The Ethics of Representation”, QUAD, Derby, 2011
Downey, Anthony, “Agamben & the Future of Law, Politics & Philosophy”, Symposium, Newcastle Law School, 9 March 2011
Downey, Anthony, “The Lives of Others: Ethnographic Ethics or Politicized Aesthetics”, Centre for Transcultural Research and Media Practice: ‘Ethnography in Visual Arts Practice’ Workshop, Fire Station Artists’ Studios, London, 16 February 2011
2010
Downey, Anthony, “I Felt Part of It, So I Did: Engaging Subjects in the Work of Anthony Luvera”, The Ethics of Participatory Practice, Photographer’s Gallery, London, November 2010
Downey, Anthony, “Yinka Shonibare: The Anarchist Artist”, CNN African Voices, 17 May 2010
Downey, Anthony, “The Rules of Engagement: Towards an Ethics of Collaboration”, AAH Conference, University of Glasgow, April 2010
2009
Downey, Anthony, “Pete and Repeat: Anthony Downey and Tom McCarthy Discuss Repetition in Art, Philosophy and Literature”. The London Consortium, Zabludowicz Collection, 26 November 2009
Downey, Anthony, “Tate Encounters: Between the Museum, Academy and Society”, Tate Britain, October 2009
Downey, Anthony, “Gender, War and Chadors II”, British Museum, October 2009
Downey, Anthony, “Thresholds of a Coming Community: Aesthetics, Ethics, and Politics”, AAH Annual Conference, Manchester University, April 2009
Downey, Anthony, “Tate Triennial Conference: Global Modernities”, Chair for Artist’s Roundtable Discussion, Tate Britain, March 2009
Downey, Anthony, “The Lives of Others: Artur Zmijewski’s ‘Repetition’ and the Aesthetics of Surveillance”, Social East: Forum on the Art and Visual Culture of Eastern Europe, Courtauld Institute of Art, London, February 2009
2008
Downey, Anthony, “At the Limits of the Image: Representations of Torture in Popular Culture”, Symposium on Iconoclasm and Iconolatry: Image, Terrorism and Blindness, CENDEAC, Murcia, Spain, October 2008
Downey, Anthony, “The Burden of Representation: Contemporary Visual Arts in the Middle East”, Representing Islam: Comparative Perspectives, Manchester University, September 2008
Downey, Anthony, “And I Bring Back Untold Treasures: The Curator As Artistic Importer”, chair, Institute of Contemporary Art, May 2008
Downey, Anthony, “Documenting Disappearance: Algeria, State Terrorism and the Photographic Image”, Centre for the Study of Human Rights public debate, London School of Economics, 15 May 2008
Downey, Anthony, “Critical Imperatives: Africa Remix and the Curatorial Dilemma, Museum Studies”, Graduate School of Arts and Science, New York University, April 2008
Downey, Anthony, “Beyond Identity Politics: Excessive Identities in the work of Yinka Shonibare, Aimé Ntakiyika, and Samuel Fosso”, Diasporic Bodies and Visual Culture, Department of the History of Art and Visual Studies, Cornell University, April 2008
Downey, Anthony, “Time Was When: Duration in the Work of Zarina Bhimji, Yto Barrada, Fatou Kande Senghor, and Allan de Souza”, International Conference on Time and Photography, Leuven and Louvain-La-Leuve University, March 2008
2007
Downey, Anthony, “Yto Barrada and the Politics of Aesthetics Colour Photography: From Autochrome to Cibachrome”, Courtauld Institute, 10 November 2007