visual ANTHROPOLOGY competition

Submissions closed

PASt Competition Winners:

THE INTERVIEW

Paola Tiné

ANSA Visual Anthropology Competition winner - 2023 - First place

SPIRIT RUPTURES AND SENSORY STRUGGLES

Gary Moody

ANSA Visual Anthropology Competition winner - 2023 - Second place

This visual art is an example of ‘spirit art’ that the artist uses as a sensory, artistic, and auto-ethnographic technique within the field of ‘extraordinary ethnography’ (Meintel, Goulet). Spirit art technique is used to respond to requirements by the field of transcultural psychiatry for ethnographic insight into the experiential dimensions of spirit healing and spirit communication practices.

Every year, ANSA holds a visual anthropology competition open to all ANSA and AAS members. Our aim is to celebrate creativity in anthropology, and give space for emerging scholars to showcase their work.

For the 11th annual competition, we asked for entries that reflected on the ways in which creativity and visual practice aided in the production of anthropological knowledge.

Winners will receive a cash prize and will have their work displayed at the AAS conference at University of Western Australia later this year.

Additional Information

WHAT IS VISUAL ANTHROPOLOGY?

  • In short, this type of anthropology seeks to use the visual as a means of understanding the world.

  • Mediums include photography, film, drawing, painting, and any other forms of visual and creative expression.

SOME QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

  • What are the visual aspects of a society or culture?

  • How can anthropological data be expressed in a visual way?

  • How can knowledge and experience be expressed creatively?

The oil painting represents the making of the self in contemporary Newari society, with a focus on family conflict, kinship issues and gender constructions. By combining images and words, which encompass both the fieldnotes and the participants' voice, the artist attempts to bring memories back to life.