Between the arts / The 36th annual international conference on Virginia Woolf

Between the Arts, the 36th annual international conference on Virginia Woolf, invites contributions across the fields of academic and artistic research that emphasizes artistic expressions, and draws on the inspiration of the Bloomsbury Group, Woolf’s circle of artists, writers, critics, and public intellectuals.

Virginia Woolf’s own writings and the Bloomsbury Group community have been long lasting inspirations for those working in the creative fields ranging from artists and writers to designers and performers. At the same time, Woolf and the Bloomsbury group have attracted the keen interest of academics in various disciplines including literary studies, art history, philosophy, film and photography studies. This ability to create collaboration and dialogue across various arts and disciplines is extremely valuable today. Woolf and the Bloomsbury group testify to the force of artistic freedom in modern society and remind us that one of the core values of art is to be part of an open dialogue.

Between the Arts celebrates community, collaboration, inspiration and the collective work that lies behind any artistic or academic endeavor. This conference invites those participating to share the creativity of thinking together and working with each other while exploring the collective work and cumulative efforts that exist in between, behind and under any work of art.

Between the Arts investigates how the various arts and the senses continually interact with one another. The conference examines their different ways of connecting, viewing, touching, inspiring, and affecting each other as well as critically responding to each other. It
invites papers and works that explore dialogue, rewriting, remediation, critical imitation, and creative responses – all the fascinating “stuff” that goes on between the arts.

The Annual International Conference on Virginia Woolf is a leading academic event dedicated to the study and celebration of Virginia Woolf’s life, work, and legacy. Held annually since 1991, the conference brings together scholars, writers, artists, and readers from around the world to engage with Woolf’s work and criticism. Each year, the conference is hosted by a different institution and organized around a unique theme that reflects current scholarly and cultural conversations. The program typically includes keynote lectures, panel discussions, roundtables, performances, workshops, exhibitions, and excursions. In addition to fostering rigorous academic dialogue, the conference encourages creative and interdisciplinary approaches to Woolf’s work, making it a vibrant space for both scholarly exchange and artistic exploration. 

All papers to be presented at the conference will undergo a peer-review process.

Deadline for submissions: October 15th, 2026
Send to: woolf2027@khio.no 

Between the Arts, the 36th annual international conference on Virginia Woolf, invites contributions across the fields of academic and artistic research that emphasize artistic expression, and draws on the inspiration of the Bloomsbury group, Woolf’s circle of artists, writers, critics, and public intellectuals.
Virginia Woolf’s own writings and the Bloomsbury group have been long lasting inspirations for those working in the creative fields, ranging from artists and writers to designers and performers. At the same time, Woolf and the Bloomsbury group have attracted the keen interest of academics in various disciplines, including literary studies, art history, philosophy, film and photography studies. This ability to create collaboration and dialogue across various arts and disciplines is extremely valuable today. Woolf and the Bloomsbury group testify to the force of artistic freedom in modern society and remind us that one of the core values of art is to be part of an open dialogue.
Between the Arts celebrates community, collaboration, inspiration and the collective work that lies behind any artistic or academic endeavor. This conference invites those participating to share the creativity of thinking together and working with one another while exploring the collective work and cumulative efforts that exist in between, behind and under any work of art.
Between the Arts investigates how the various arts and the senses continually interact with one another. The conference examines their different ways of connecting, viewing, touching, inspiring, and affecting one another as well as critically responding to one another. It invites papers and works that explore dialogue, rewriting, remediation, critical imitation, and creative responses – all the fascinating “stuff” that goes on between the arts.

Possible themes could be:

Woolf’s writings about art
Woolf’s writings and contemporary art
Literary writing and creativity
Woolf as reader/on reading
Writing and painting
Painting with prose
Words as art
Art as words
Typographic sensibilities
Printmaking
The Hogarth Press (cover art, book design, typography, illustration & print)
Pattern design
The Omega workshop
Scrap books, albums & sketch books
The Bloomsbury group
Artistic research
Artistic pedagogies
Performativity, presence and presentation
Art & archives
Criticism: art critic, literary critic, design critic
A Room of One’s Own
Working conditions for creatives
Feminist art & writing
To the Lighthouse & Between the Arts -perspectives
Flowers, gardens & landscapes
Creativity in the anthropocene

Submissions

We invite artistic contributions, academic contributions and contributions that combine artistic and academic approaches.

20-minute individual presentation 

250-word abstract
Academic paper
Visual essay (hybrid medium, integrating visual elements)
Performance lecture

Panels, roundtables, and workshops

500-word abstract for the entire session describing the panel and each of the papers
Panels of 3 or 4 papers on a selected topic
Roundtable – discussion on a selected topic
Proposal for workshops 

Creative works

Artist books responding to Virginia Woolf’s work.
(200 words and 2-5 images of artistic work in a single PDF)
Performance (abstract of 250 words)
Please specify which of the following spaces you would prefer, as these are the only options we can provide: a black box stage with basic lighting and sound, public areas on campus, or outdoor spaces.

Important information

All proposals must include:
A BIO of 100 words, name and email adresse on a separate page.
For artist books & performance, please send proposal, bio, name, email adresse and documentation of maximum 5 images/works in one single PDF (max 15 MB). The works may be already produced or include a project description, sketches and/or reference works

For artistic contributions and performances: We will not be able to provide for a full evening theater event, solo shows or other engagements which require production costs and extra staff. All costs must be provided by the applicant. However, we may provide a letter of confirmation for anyone applying for funds. Insurance, transport and materials must be provided for by the artists.

Anticipated participation fee between 100 - 190 EUR (dependent on funding). More info will follow subsequently on
https://khio.no/events/2417

Deadline for submissions: October 15th, 2026
Send to: woolf2027@khio.no

University of Oslo will host Thursday and Friday at Sophus Bugges Hus at Blindern Campus, and Oslo National Academy of The Arts will host Saturday and Sundays event at their campus at Grünerløkka. A pre-confrenece event will take place at Edvard Munchs Atelier Ekely on Wednesday evening. More information will be announced subsequently.

Accomodation and travel must be booked and paid for privately. We will share information about official conference hotel and hostel in due time.
Our campuses is located 3,3 km apart. Oslo is not car friendly. We recomend public trasportation by bus, tramway or subway. Download the Ruter app for tickets and travel information.
Arrival to Oslo from Gardermoen Oslo Airport is best by train. Both local and airport-shuttle train is possible. (But local is cheaper)

Oslo National Academy of The Arts is located at Grünerløkka, in an old factory at Fossveien 24, 0533 Oslo.

The University of Oslo is a larger campus and the conference will be hosted in Sophus Bugges Hus, Niels Henrik Abels vei 36, 0371 Oslo.

How do I find tickets for public transportation?
Download the ruter app or buy tickets at 7-Eleven, Mix or Narvesen kiosks. 

How do I book taxis?
Download TaxiFix, Bolt or ask your hotel to book you a taxi. 

Can I get my ticket re-imbursed due to change in plans?
Unfortunatly no, due to limited administrative infrastructure. However, you are able to pass down you ticket. (This is your own responsibility to execute, but please notify us if this is the case to register the new name)

TBA

The conferences main organiser is the department of Design. 

Ane Thon Knutsen is associate professor in Graphic Design at the Design department at Oslo Academy of the Arts. She defended her practice based PhD on Virginia Woolf's work as a typesetter and self-publisher in 2019. Knutsen works multidisciplinary at the intersection between graphic design, art, research and dissemination.

Marit Grøtta is Professor of Comparative Literature at the University of Oslo, Norway. Her latest book is Reading Portrait Photographs in Proust, Kafka and Woolf: Modernism, Media and Emotion (2024). Grøtta’s research centers on nineteenth-century and modernist literature, with a particular focus on its intersections with photography and painting, as well as its broader aesthetic and media philosophical dimensions.

Woolf2027@khio.no