The International Association of Art 19th General Assembly was held on 24 -25 February 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey. 60 representatives from 25 countries attended the General Assembly and accompanying events which included symposiums, studio visits, gallery tours and a boat trip across the Bosphorus.
On being elected to the Executive Committee of the IAA, Stacie McCormick, Chair of a-n said: “I am thrilled to be elected to the Executive Committee of the International Association of Art. It is incredibly inspiring to represent UK artists at a global symposium and it is wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with kindred associations from across the world. The IAA network allows us to further expand the a-n mission; to support contemporary visual arts practice and affirm the value of artists in society.”
Jerome Ince-Mitchell, Vice Chair of a-n Board and member of the Executive Committee of the IAA Europe and Clémentine Bedos, Chair of a-n Artists Council also attended the General Assembly and gave presentations at a symposium titled “Humanity in Exile: Conditions of the Artist and Intellectuals Under Oppression”.
Jerome introduced a new project that he is developing in response to World Art Day (15 April). Working in collaboration with students from Camberwell College of Art, the project centers on the creation of real or imagined wild gardens as a visual output for conversations about otherness and the movement of people across the world traced through horticulture.
Clémentine shared personal reflections on their “hystory” and questioned what would happen if refugees and People Seeking Asylum were placed at the center of care and solidaristic politics. Their presentation ended with a small intervention, inviting audiences to imagine themselves in a community without barriers where multiplicity and diversity are embraced.
Clémentine Bedos, Chair of a-n Artists Council, said: “I am truly grateful for the community of artists and network of support and solidarity that the IAA represents. I am proud to have presented at the IAA Symposium where I shared stories of my ancestry and prompted audiences to consider the movement of people, togetherness and ‘what it means to be human?’.”
After seven years as President of the IAA, Bedri Baykam (Turkey) handed the Presidency to Kwang Soo Lee (Korea). Other members of the Executive Committee, who were elected on 25 February 2023, are: Maria Moroz (Poland), Vice President; Vahida Ramujkic (Serbia), Treasurer; Marta Yglesias Pisa (Costa Rica), Latin America and Caribbean Coordinator; Sofia de la Fuente (Sweden), European Coordinator; Ryoji Ikeda (Japan), Asia-Pacific Coordinator; Kathe Madrigal (United States of America), North America Coordinator; Stacie McCormick (UK); Marcel Noack (Germany); Igors Dobičins (Lithuania); Graciela Ferreiro Robles (Mexico).
a-n is the official UK representative of the IAA.
About the IAA
Founded in 1952 under the chairmanship of artist Gino Severini, the International Association of Art (IAA) is an artist-led, non-governmental organisation working in official partnership with UNESCO. The objectives of the association are to stimulate international collaboration and to improve the economic and social position of artists on national and international levels, as well as to defend their material and moral rights. Since its foundation, IAA has negotiated and drawn attention to international agreements, declarations and other actions designed to facilitate the work of visual artists.
To find out more about the IAA, visit aiap-iaa.org
Top image: Members of the International Association of Art attending studio visits in Istanbul, 2023.
