News

March 9, 2026

ISEA International Board Statement

The Board of ISEA International thanks the community for its continued engagement with ISEA2026. A further progress update will be shared next week. We appreciate your patience.

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December 18, 2025

ISEA International Board statement

The Board of ISEA International is aware of the concerns shared by members of our community regarding travel to future ISEA Symposia, and would like to share the following statement in response.

The feedback we have received has been heard, considered, and discussed. The Board has been working to address these questions whilst balancing a number of institutional constraints – a process which has taken longer than we would have liked, for which we sincerely apologise.

The safety and well-being of all ISEA participants is very important to us. We recognise that insome locations, laws and customs relating to sexual orientation and gender diversity present risks to personal safety and legal status; and we deeply regret that these risks may exclude valued members of our community from participating in some events. Anyone considering travelling internationally for ISEA events is urged to thoroughly research these aspects of their intended destination in order to make an informed decision about travel. Official government travel advice pages are useful starting points, as are resources developed specifically for LGBTQ+ travellers such as ILGA, EqualDex and the Human Dignity Trust

The nature of ISEA’s roving symposia inevitably means that some events will be more accessible than others, depending on individuals’ personal circumstances – whether due to safety concerns such as those set out above, or practical considerations such as travel costs, carbon footprint, or time constraints. One of the reasons that ISEA holds events in different global locations is to give practitioners in these regions the opportunity to present their work, and to participate in the mutual sharing of ideas that ISEA symposia enable. Balancing the goal of maximising engagement across locations and cultures, whilst also addressing the needs and perspectives of our established community, is a challenge; and we will continue to reflect on how best to manage these tensions as we move forward. We know that no country or region is a monolith, and that wherever we go we find diversity of all kinds – as well as vibrant communities of artists and scholars doing innovative work which deserves to be shared.

To address barriers to physical participation, we have resolved to maximise avenues for virtual participation in all future symposia. While we appreciate this is not the same as in-person attendance, we are committed to working actively with host organisations to make online participation as meaningful as possible.

We thank you for your patience as we continue working to resolve the challenges imposed by our roving ISEA symposia.

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