On May 23–24, the first international conference of the Identity Crisis Network will take place at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Zagreb. The event invites open dialogue and collaborative reflection on the role of identity in art and society today, asking how art can foreground new ways of being and relating.
The conference will focus on how identity and subjectivity are shaped and expressed in today’s cultural landscape. Participants will examine how to move beyond rigid categories and simplified labels that often dominate public and institutional discourse. The aim is to create a space for meaningful exchange, where ideas and experiences inspire new ways of thinking about the role of art in a world marked by social tension and polarization.
This event is part of the broader Identity Crisis Network research project led by Michalina Sablik, Luka Cvetković, Vera Zalutskaya, Luja Šimunović, and Klara Petrović. The project brings together curators, artists, thinkers and critics through seminars, meetings, and artistic collaborations that critically engage with issues of identity, visibility, and representation in contemporary culture.
The keynote speakers include:
Jack Halberstam – Professor of Gender Studies and English at Columbia University, and author of several influential books on gender, sexuality, and culture. His work explores queer theory, alternative modes of being, and the intersections of identity, art, and space.
Anna Longo – Philosopher with a PhD in Aesthetics from the University of Paris 1 and a member of the Collège International de Philosophie in Paris. Her work spans metaphysics, epistemology, and aesthetics, and she is the author and editor of several books.
Svitlana Matviyenko – Associate Professor of Critical Media Analysis and Associate Director of the Digital Democracies Institute. Her research focuses on cyberwar, media theory, critical infrastructure, and postcolonial theory, with a current emphasis on nuclear culture and heritage in the context of the Russian war in Ukraine.
Simon O'Sullivan – Professor of Art Theory and Practice at Goldsmiths, University of London. His work explores the intersection of contemporary art, performance, and continental philosophy, engaging with Deleuze and Guattari, fictioning,
myth-making, and the aesthetics of subjectivity through his collaborative project Plastique Fantastique.
In addition to the keynotes, 18 speakers were selected through an open call—including artists, curators, researchers, theorists, and cultural practitioners—who will contribute to the conversation through lectures and performances.
Full list of speakers:
Keynote speakers: Jack Halberstam, Anna Longo, Svitlana Matviyenko, Simon O'Sullivan
Selected speakers: Bill Balaskas, Salim Bayri, Mark Cinkevich, Hana Janečková, Klara Kofen, Suzana Milevska, Boris Ondreička, Ying Sze Pek, Tjaša Pogačar & Brandon Rosenbluth, Mohammad Salemy, Mårten Spångberg, Simon(e) van Saarloos, Darko Vukić, Scott Wark, Agata Wieczorek, Xtreme Girl
All information about the Identity Crisis Network is available at: identitycrisisnetwork.com
The conference is co-organized by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the international cultural program of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2025.