The fields of contemporary art and research in the humanities and social sciences are beginning to interconnect. Research-based art (RBA)—in which artists create artworks and projects based on sociological and anthropological research—has been expanding greatly, partly due to the “social turn” in contemporary art since the early 1990s. This is deeply related to the emergence of new art forms such as socially engaged art (SEA), participatory art, and community art; the development of technology such as digital media and computers; and the institutional transformation of art galleries and museums.

On the other hand, arts-based research (ABR) or ‘artistic research’ has developed within fields previously conducted mainly through texts, including anthropology, sociology, education, media studies and cultural studies. These fields have integrated the arts (visual art, literary art, music/sound art, media art, and performing arts) to conduct qualitative research in response to changes in theories, research methodologies, research targets, as well as transformations in the nature of the humanities. These results are now widely visible not only in research presentations, but also in practice, education, and workshops that actively try to reintegrate the research process into society.

This international conference and workshop, titled ‘Art/Research/Practice’, draws attention to the unique developments in the respective fields of contemporary art and the humanities and social sciences, while also exploring the potentialities of the intersections, similarities, and differences between these two fields.