Past projects

Artivistic emerged in 2004 in Montreal as an "evention" (a hybrid between event, invention and intervention) facilitating a much-needed alternative space for the discussion of political-creative action on the periphery of academia.

In 2005, the event started to include international participants. Moderated by artist Devora Neumark, it asked: What is the relationship between activism and the street? Who is allowed to communicate? Who owns your body_mind? It also featured a benefit art auction and cabaret for the Critical Art Ensemble Legal Defence Fund co-presented by UpgradeMTL and [ctrl] collective.

In the fall of 2006, Artivistic was invited by the MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) to organize a day of roundtable discussions entitled Nationalism: Performing Cultures of Occupation, as part of Afshin Matlabi's solo exhibition.

In 2007, the third edition entitled [ un.occupied spaces ] interrogated the politics of spaces and occupation: What is indigenous? What is natural space? What is (there) to occupy? An autonomous and international network of artists and activists was created out of a workshop series, the Imaginary Border Academy (IBA).

In 2009, Artivistic presented its fourth edition TURN*ON, engaging the proxemics of sexuality, technology, and politics by asking: What kind of world is worth fantasizing about? What actually makes resistance irresistible? What are the alternative infrastructures of sex?