The international conference series “Oil in (and out of) Visual Arts” will bring together artists, curators, researchers, and activists to examine the relationship between the art world and fossil fuels, and explore how contemporary art can respond to ecological and energy challenges. The Paris edition of the conference will take place on December 5, 2025, at the Vasari Room, INHA, featuring a full day of workshops, roundtables, and a keynote session.
You can join online via the zoom link:
David Castañer (Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) vous invite à une réunion Zoom programmée.
Sujet: PETROLEUM PARIS 5 DECEMBER
Heure: 5 déc. 2025 13:00 PM Lagos
Participer à la réunion Zoom
https://pantheonsorbonne.zoom.us/j/99031273577?pwd=UXV1mdGp9053OKPnQJpEcZKr9mRmYR.1
ID de réunion: 990 3127 3577
Code secret: 903791
The program investigates the complex entanglements of oil, art markets, and cultural institutions, from the founding of MoMA by the Rockefeller family to contemporary art hubs in oil-producing regions. Speakers will discuss how fossil fuel consumption and climate change intersect with museum practices, conservation, curating, and artistic production. The conference addresses the urgent environmental context: despite international agreements like the Paris Accord, the energy transition remains slow. Activists have drawn attention to this through high-profile interventions in museums, such as the 2022 actions by Just Stop Oil in the UK, highlighting the ecological responsibility of cultural institutions. Key sessions include:
- Roundtable 1: “Ebb and Flow of Oil Industries in the Art World”
- Roundtable 2: “The Green Turn and Reconceptualizing Preservation”
- Roundtable 3: “Exhibition Making in the Age of Fossil Fuels”
Keynote: Morad Montazami on “Melancholia and Collapse of Oil: Anti-Extractivist Art Theory and Practice” The conference will explore concepts such as petro-modernities, petro-cultures, and petro-museums, examining the global political, economic, and cultural impact of oil extraction. Discussions will cover how artists and activist groups use creative strategies to resist ecological destruction, address urbanism, and critique neocolonial extractivism. For those in Nigeria, the conference will be streamed live from the Centre for Contemporary Arts Lagos, located at 9 McEwen St, Yaba 101245, Lagos. We encourage the public to either join in person or participate online via by adding this to your calendar: Add to My Calendar .This international gathering promises to foster dialogue across disciplines and continents, highlighting the urgent intersections of art, activism, and the ecological crisis.
