Sandro Zanetti, Full Professor of General and Comparative Literature at the University of Zurich's Faculty of Arts and Humanities, specializes in avant-garde research, artistic production processes, and poetics of (im)probability. He studied German, History, and Philosophy at Basel, Freiburg, and Tübingen (1993-1999), earned his PhD in 2005 at Basel's SNSF project, and held positions including Junior Professor at Hildesheim (2008-2011) and DFG network head (2010-2014). Since 2011 at UZH, he progressed from Assistant to Full Professor (2022) and serves as Co-Dean of Studies since 2021. Current affiliations: Department of General and Comparative Literature (UZH), Center for Arts and Cultural Theory (ZKK), Literary Radio Zurich Former roles: ZGW Center (2010-2022), SNF project leader (2015-2019), Co-editor of History of the Present (2016-present) His research explores: Avant-garde genealogies and postwar literary modernity Time perception and aesthetic temporality Writing as cultural technique Interdisciplinary intersections with philosophy, media studies, and art Publications reveal trends in: 2022-2024: Dada historiography, AI-generated literature, Paul Celan's late works 2019-2021: Aesthetic theory, transactuality, Barthesian concepts 2014-2017: Improvisation networks, multilingualism, collaborative writing He co-founded interdisciplinary platforms and maintains editorial roles across 15 anthologies since 2004.
European Graduate School of Economics and ManagementBulgaria
Paul D. Miller, known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is a Professor of Music and Mediated Art at The European Graduate School (EGS). Based in New York City, he is an experimental electronic and hip-hop musician, conceptual artist, and writer whose work spans music production, film, multimedia installations, and critical theory. He has released over a dozen albums pioneering 'illbient' and trip hop genres, authored influential books including Rhythm Science and Sound Unbound , and exhibited internationally at venues like the Venice Biennale and Andy Warhol Museum. Education: Bowdoin College: Studied philosophy and French literature; thesis on Richard Wagner's Gesamtkunstwerk as precursor to new media. Research Interests: Miller's work centers on remix culture as a postmodern methodology, exploring intersections of sound, image, and technology. His theoretical framework positions the DJ as a 'post-subjective auteur' who creates meaning through layered connections across time, culture, and media. Key projects include Rebirth of a Nation (reworking D.W. Griffith's film to address racial history) and Terra Nova (Antarctica sound recordings addressing climate change), demonstrating his focus on historical reinterpretation and environmental crisis through digital media. Publications: His 14 scholarly articles (2001-2009) analyze remix as cultural practice across domains from album art history ( The Inner Sleeve ) to Baudrillard's philosophy ( Baudrillard: A Remembrance ). The corpus reveals consistent investigation into how sampling, digital layering, and media archaeology reshape narrative, memory, and cultural identity in the information age. Awards: No scientific awards or fellowships were documented in the source text. Advising and Grants: The source text provides no information regarding students supervised, academic advising, or research grants administered by Miller. Labs and Teams: Miller operates through project-based collaborations rather than fixed labs, forming temporary collectives with institutions like the American Museum of Natural History (for Terra Nova ) and artists including Yoko Ono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and choreographer Francesca Harper. His 'Unfinished Stories' project with Pulitzer-winning critic Margo Jefferson exemplifies his interdisciplinary approach bridging dance, music, and social commentary.
The Royal Academy of Music, University of LondonUnited Kingdom
Anthony Gritten is Head of Undergraduate Programmes at the Royal Academy of Music in London. A distinguished scholar-performer, he completed his doctorate at Cambridge University on Stravinsky's neoclassical music under Alexander Goehr. As a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists, Gritten has given over 400 recitals across the UK, France, and Canada, establishing himself as a leading interpreter of organ repertoire. His academic journey includes positions at the University of East Anglia, the Royal Northern College of Music, and Middlesex University before his current leadership role at the Royal Academy of Music. Gritten's scholarly profile is marked by an interdisciplinary approach that bridges performance practice with philosophical inquiry. Gritten's research interests focus on the intersection of music, philosophy, and performance studies. His work explores musical gesture, the phenomenology of performance, and the philosophical dimensions of musical practice. He has made significant contributions to understanding the works of John Cage, Charles Rosen, and Stravinsky through the lens of performance philosophy. His research reveals how embodied experience shapes musical interpretation and how philosophical concepts manifest in performance practice. His scholarly output demonstrates a sustained engagement with questions of indeterminacy, distraction, and ecological awareness in musical performance. Gritten's work has helped establish Performance Philosophy as a legitimate field of academic inquiry, connecting practical musical concerns with broader philosophical questions about meaning, interpretation, and embodiment. Fellow of the Royal College of Organists Gritten has supervised numerous doctoral students in the field of performance philosophy and artistic research. His administrative leadership as Head of Undergraduate Programmes has shaped curriculum development at the Royal Academy of Music, emphasizing the integration of practical performance with theoretical and philosophical inquiry. He has been instrumental in developing research frameworks that validate practice-based research in music, contributing to the institutional recognition of artistic research as a legitimate scholarly pursuit.
David Hopkins is an Honorary Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow's School of Culture & Creative Arts. His work focuses on modern and avant-garde art, particularly Surrealism, Dada, and the influence of figures like Marcel Duchamp and Max Ernst. He has authored and edited numerous books, including Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction and Dark Toys: Surrealism and the Culture of Childhood . His research explores themes such as masculinity, childhood, and the intersections between art and cultural history. His recent publications include studies on gene expression profiling in medical contexts, Blake's influence on British Surrealism, and Surrealist toys. His academic contributions also include curated exhibitions like Childish Things and Dada's Boys , examining contemporary art through avant-garde lenses. Despite no formal awards listed, his extensive publications and editorial roles highlight his scholarly impact. His work bridges art history with broader cultural and philosophical discourses, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches.
Jan Bäcklund is a faculty member at Linnaeus University in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, specifically within the Department of Music and Image with a focus on Art History. He serves as the program director for the Culture Leadership Program since 2020. His extensive academic career is marked by numerous publications spanning art theory, art history, and interdisciplinary fields connecting craftsmanship, art and science. His research interests encompass Art Theory , Art History , Alchemy History , Black Art , and Arts of Fire , exploring the spaces between craftsmanship, art and science. He has significant expertise in encyclopedics, information management, bibliography and book history. His ongoing research concerns readymade and fake concepts, indexicality and representation theories, as well as art historiography. Bäcklund has a particular scholarly interest in 15th century Dutch art, Soviet conceptual art, Marcel Duchamp, Chinese ink painting, and 'bureaugraphy'—a term he coined himself. Analysis of Bäcklund's recent publications reveals a strong theoretical focus on contemporary art, particularly examining authenticity and the readymade concept in art. His work consistently bridges historical perspectives with current theoretical challenges, with increasing attention to non-anthropocentric approaches to art. His publications show a sophisticated engagement with representation theory and the philosophical underpinnings of artistic practice, often drawing connections between seemingly disparate fields like alchemy and contemporary art.
University of North Carolina at CharlotteUnited States
Jae Emerling is Professor of Modern and Contemporary Art History in the Department of Art & Art History at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and serves as the Associate Dean for Research for the College of Arts + Architecture. He received his Ph.D. in Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles after attending Wesleyan University. Emerling is Editor-at-Large and Reviews Editor for the London-based Journal of Visual Culture, demonstrating his significant influence in the field of visual studies. Emerling's research interests center on aesthetic history, Deleuze and Guattari studies, contemporary art theory, and the development of the transmissibility concept. His scholarly approach bridges philosophy, art history, and critical theory, with particular focus on figures like Gilles Deleuze, Félix Guattari, Cy Twombly, Marina Abramović, Paul Celan, and Italo Calvino. His work explores the anachronistic and futural nature of artistic creation and historiographic labor. His major publications include Theory for Art History (2005, second edition 2019), Photography: History and Theory (2012), and his latest work Transmissibility: Writing Aesthetic History (2024), which develops a transdisciplinary philosophy of aesthetic history. He is currently co-editing Reinventing Theory: Art History and Criticism (forthcoming 2025) with Kamini Vellodi. His articles appear in prestigious journals including Critical Inquiry , History of Photography , Radical Philosophy , and the Journal of Art Historiography . Among his notable contributions is the JVC Palestine Portfolio (2021), which he co-edited as part of his editorial work for the Journal of Visual Culture. His scholarship demonstrates a consistent engagement with theoretical frameworks while maintaining deep connections to specific artistic practices and historical contexts. Emerling previously served as a visiting professor of contemporary art at the VU Amsterdam in 2011, reflecting his international scholarly reach. His work consistently explores the philosophical dimensions of art history while developing innovative methodological approaches to understanding artistic creation and reception across time.
Selvin Yaltır is a Lecturer in the Department of Advanced English at Boğaziçi University. His academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in English Literature from Boğaziçi University (2019), complemented by an Erasmus exchange at the University of Kent (2015-2016). He also holds an M.A. in Literary Studies from Utrecht University (2007) and a B.A. in Western Languages and Literatures from Boğaziçi University (2005). Research interests center on literary modernism and interdisciplinary intersections, with specialized focus areas including: Samuel Beckett's literary legacy Critical theory applications in literature Philosophy-literature dialogues Affect theory in narrative structures Modernist conceptualizations of art Conference engagements demonstrate active scholarly discourse, including presentations at ACLA (2017) on Beckett's philosophical dimensions and SLSA (2019) exploring experimental writing methodologies. Organizational roles include co-hosting the Samuel Beckett and World Literature symposium at Kent (2016). Publications consistently explore Beckett through multidisciplinary lenses — spanning cinema, philosophy, and visual art — with recurring examinations of existential humor, conceptual art parallels, and critical reinterpretations of modernist tropes.
Gregor Wedekind is a Professor of Art History at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His research spans from late 18th to 21st-century visual arts, with a focus on French 19th-century art, European Romanticism, and intersections between art, psychiatry, and photography theory. He has held leadership roles including Dean of Faculty 07 (2021–2024) and President of the German Society for the Study of the 19th Century (2010–2021). Editorial Leadership: Co-editor of Journal of Art History (since 2021) Foundations: Chairman of the Paul Strecker Foundation (since 2022) Research Grants: DFG-funded projects like Mobilier urbain (2019–2023) His publications emphasize mimesis theory, intermediality (art and music), and cultural transfers between Germany and France. Recent articles examine topics like Géricault's realism, the positivist conception of photography, and the symbolic role of gray in modern art. Scientific Awards: Chairman of the Paul Strecker Foundation Membre titulaire of the Comité International d'Histoire de l'Art (CIHA) Leadership roles in academic societies
Patrick LeMieux is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cinema and Digital Media at the University of California, Davis, within the College of Letters and Science. He is a media artist, game designer, and electronic musician whose work explores the intersections of game studies, media theory, and digital art. His creative and scholarly practice investigates the materiality of technical media, community histories of play, and the politics of digital culture. Education: Ph.D. in Media Arts and Sciences, Duke University M.F.A. in Digital Media Art, University of Florida, Gainesville B.E.D. in Visualization Science, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University LeMieux's research centers on game studies, media theory, audio production, and artmaking. He examines how games function beyond entertainment—engaging in metagaming, modding, and alternative interfaces. His work often critiques the boundaries of games, exploring speedrunning, esports, modular synthesis, and installation art. He is particularly interested in the social and political dimensions of play, as seen in projects like the Octopad and True Blue . His recent publications and artworks reflect a deep engagement with digital culture, from algorithmic manipulation of image search to reimagining classic games as collaborative experiences. Themes across his work include accessibility, media archaeology, and the material practices of digital media. His co-authored book Metagaming is a foundational text in critical game studies. Scientific Awards: No formal awards listed in the text. LeMieux has advised and mentored students through courses such as CDM 198 and TCS 198 (Modding), where students engage in hands-on media experimentation. He has secured project visibility through exhibitions and conferences rather than traditional grants. His collaborative work with Stephanie Boluk highlights his interdisciplinary approach. Labs and Teams: He collaborates with Stephanie Boluk on metagames and publications. He has exhibited with collectives such as Control Alt Play and alt.ctrl.gdc, indicating active participation in experimental game communities. His lab-like practice involves hardware modding, software development, and gallery installations, often centered in the Art Building at UC Davis.
Prof. Lars Blunck is a Professor of Art History at the Academy of Fine Arts Nuremberg (AdBK) since 2013. He studied in Braunschweig and Kiel, earning his doctorate in 2001 with a dissertation on performative assemblages of the 1950s–60s. His habilitation (2007) focused on Marcel Duchamp's precision optics. He held a visiting professorship and was a fellow at the Terra Foundation for American Art (2011). His research emphasizes 20th-century art, participatory practices, and photography studies. Key achievements include the Deubner Prize (2005) and the 2025 Preis für gute Lehre. He co-edits the series Contact Zones: Studies in Global Art and has curated exhibitions at institutions like the Hamburger Bahnhof. His publications span Marcel Duchamp, Fluxus, and photographic theory, with notable works like Duchamps Readymade (2017) and essays on Duchamp's Prière de toucher . Blunck's research explores intersections of visual culture, performance, and art historiography, with a focus on 20th-century avant-garde movements. His recent articles address idleness in art, staged photography, and memorial aesthetics, reflecting his commitment to interdisciplinary analysis.
Patrik Andersson is an Associate Professor at the Audain Faculty of Art, Emily Carr University of Art and Design. His academic background includes a PhD in Art History from the University of British Columbia, with a focus on Marcel Duchamp's post-war reception. He co-founded Made Magazine and co-authored Inside Magazines (2002). His work bridges art criticism, curation, and education, emphasizing conceptual art, design, and modernist studies. Education: • PhD in Art History, University of British Columbia (dissertation on Marcel Duchamp) Research Interests: Explores the intersections of curatorial practice, contemporary art theory, and interdisciplinary approaches. Recent projects analyze performance art, photographic mediums, and the digital age's impact on artistic reproduction. He frequently engages with Canadian and Scandinavian art contexts through exhibitions and commissioned essays. Recent Articles & Exhibitions: Focus on contemporary artists like Rodney Graham, Niki de Saint-Phalle, and Tim Gardner. Highlights include essays on impressionist techniques, spatial dynamics in art, and collaborative curation. His writing spans exhibition catalogues, peer-reviewed articles, and critical essays. Grants & Advising: No specific grants or advising details provided. Teaches courses on modernism, curatorial practice, and contemporary art studies in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. Courses include Topics in Modernism (AHIS 408) and Art Now: Studies in Contemporary Art (AHIS 304). Labs/Teams: Affiliated with the Audain Faculty of Art's curatorial and art history programs. Has curated exhibitions such as Art School High and Rodney Graham: Canadian Impressionist alongside institutional collaborations with the Centre Pompidou, Moderna Museet, and Canada House.
Katharina Neuburger is a researcher at the Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design , where she has been an academic assistant for modern and contemporary art history since March 2022. She is also a member of both the staff council and university council. She completed her doctorate at the University of Cologne in 2016 and holds a master's degree from the Karlsruhe University of Art and Design (2008). Education : PhD in Art History, University of Cologne (2016) MA in Art History and Media Theory, Karlsruhe University of Art and Design (2008) Visiting Curatorial Studies, CCS Bard College, New York (2007) Her research explores the intersections of German and German-German art (1949–1989), focusing on ideological critique, performance art, and institutional dynamics. She investigates international modernism across Europe, the USA, and Brazil, with particular interest in artist networks, self-organization, and the legacy of Marcel Duchamp. Her work also addresses memory cultures and media theory. The 15 most recent articles and monographs reflect her expertise in avant-garde movements, Duchamp studies, and postwar art discourse. Key themes include political expression in the GDR , self-organized art institutions , and curatorial practices in shaping modernism. Neuburger has contributed to major exhibition projects such as In Her Hands: Female Sculptors of Surrealism (2025) and Beuys and Duchamp: Artists of the Future (2021). She previously served as Deputy Museum Director at Art Museum Reutlingen (2020) and as a speaker for the Sculpture Projects Archive in Münster (2017–2019).
Frances Di Lauro is Associate Professor in the Discipline of English and Writing at the University of Sydney's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a BA (Hons) and PhD in Religious Studies from Sydney, and a Graduate Certificate of Teaching in Higher Education. Her interdisciplinary research analyzes communicative artifacts through digital writing pedagogy, protest/apology rhetoric, iconoclasm, and encyclopedic traditions from Augustine to Wikipedia. She develops innovative digital assessments using Wikipedia, open-access technologies, and mass collaboration platforms. Recent publications examine remixed objects in anti-retinal art, Wikipedia edit-a-thons for collaborative learning, and post-pandemic digital writing pedagogy. Her work bridges rhetorical analysis with digital humanities methodologies. Teaching includes WRIT1002 (Writing and Rhetoric: Argumentation) and WRIT6002 (Writing for the Digital World). She currently supervises postgraduate research on apocalyptic literature, academic integrity, and the hero's journey evolution. Major awards include: Vice Chancellor’s Award for Innovative Teaching (2021) University of Hong Kong Innovative Practices Award (2017) Vice Chancellor's Award for Outstanding Teaching (2016) Faculty Teaching Excellence Awards (2005-2016)
Pedro Alberto Cruz Sanchez is an Associate Professor in the Department of History of Art at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Murcia, Spain. He has held this academic position since earning his doctorate in 2001 and remains an active scholar, writer, and cultural critic. Doctorate: University of Murcia (2001), Thesis: Realism in Times of Unreality. Around the New Spanish Realism Degree: Geography and History, University of Murcia, National Degree Award in Art History (1998) His research spans art history , visual culture , performance art , and contemporary aesthetics , with a particular focus on Marcel Duchamp, bodily experience, and the political dimensions of images. He is recognized as one of Spain’s leading specialists on Duchamp. His poetic work explores themes of grief, memory, and existential reflection. His recent scholarly output includes groundbreaking works such as Art and Performance. A History from the Avant-garde to the Present (2021), the first comprehensive history of performance art in Spanish. His publications reveal a consistent trajectory from theoretical art criticism to interdisciplinary explorations of literature, politics, and pandemic society. Themes of visibility, passivity, truth, and embodiment recur across his oeuvre. XVI Premio de Poesía Dionisia García (2020) Cruz Sanchez has supervised PhD theses and mentored emerging scholars. He has received research support through academic appointments and cultural institutions. From 2002 to 2007, he directed CENDEAC (Center for Documentation and Advanced Studies in Contemporary Art), and from 2007 to 2014, he served as Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, later Culture and Tourism, for the Region of Murcia, demonstrating significant leadership in cultural policy. He is an active public intellectual, contributing weekly art criticism to La Verdad (Murcia) and La Razón , where he also curated the poetry section "Las razones de la poesía." He maintains the blog "Fuente de sombras" on La Razón’s website, dedicated to art and culture.
Penelope Haralambidou is Professor of Architecture and Spatial Culture at The Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London (UCL). She serves as Co-Director of the Cinematic and Videogame Architecture MArch programme and has been a dedicated educator at UCL since 1996, teaching architectural design across undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral levels. Her academic career at UCL includes significant roles such as PhD Supervisor since 2004, MArch PG24 Coordinator (2013-2024), Director of Communications (2018-2022), and Acting Director of MPhil/PhD Architectural Design (2016-2017). Her educational background includes: Doctor of Philosophy from University College London (2003) Master of Architecture from University College London (1995) Diploma of Architecture from National Technical University of Athens (1993) Haralambidou's research is practice-led and interdisciplinary, combining architectural design with art practice, history & theory, filmmaking, and medieval studies. She has developed an innovative methodology that employs architectural drawing, model-making, and digital film as investigatory tools to analyze ideas across architecture, visual representation, the politics of vision, and cinema. Her work explores spatial culture through time, with significant focus on feminist architectural perspectives, particularly through her research on Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies (1405). She has coined the term "architectural essay film" to describe works that use architecture as a structure, bridging film and architecture through digital technology. Her monograph Marcel Duchamp and the Architecture of Desire (Routledge, 2013) offers an architectural design perspective on Duchamp's work, challenging traditional art historical interpretations, and was nominated for the RIBA President's Award for Research in 2014. Her solo exhibition "City of Ladies" at DomoBaal gallery (2020) presented research on Christine de Pizan's proto-feminist text. Her notable recognition includes: RIBA Tutor Prize (2002) Shortlisted for RIBA President's Award for Research (2014) Shortlisted RIBA (2008) Travel Award from Sasakawa Anglo-Japanese Foundation (2000) As a dedicated educator and supervisor, Haralambidou has primary supervision responsibility for seven doctoral students, secondary for five, and tertiary for two external students. She has overseen nine thesis completions, with her students consistently producing award-winning work. Notably, she is one of few Bartlett staff with two RIBA Medal-winning students (Tom Holberton, Bronze Medal winner, and Sonia Magdziarz, Silver Medal winner). Her innovative teaching methodology in PG24 unit, which uses digital film and immersive environments to rethink architecture through time, has gained international recognition, including a BBC feature in 2015. Haralambidou leads significant research initiatives including the development of a new post-professional Master's programme in Cinematic and Videogame Architecture for UCL EAST, building on her expertise in the intersection of digital media and architectural design. Her work actively engages with Sustainable Development Goals related to Gender Equality (5), Climate Action (13), Reduced Inequalities (10), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (16).
