During the four capacity-building workshops of the project Contested Desires: Constructive Dialogues, held between 2024 and 2026 – from Rome to Larnaca, from Barcelona to Amsterdam – crucial reflections emerged on the role of artistic and cultural practices in engaging with contemporary dynamics of colonialism. From participatory methodologies to environmental issues, and including themes of gender and social inclusion, partners, artists, and speakers explored connections with capitalism, climate justice, and systemic inequalities, critically examining the intersections between these fields and the legacies of colonialism in the artistic and cultural sector.
A common thread throughout was the need to decolonize dominant narratives and to promote co-creative, inclusive, and sustainable processes capable of transforming cultural institutions into spaces of dialogue, care, and shared re-signification of heritage.
These reflections are now available online in four video podcasts, offering an in-depth look at the key insights that emerged during the capacity-building activities, providing a rich and multidisciplinary perspective.
An overview of the key insights emerging from the first capacity-building workshop on participatory methodologies, held in Rome in October 2024. Contributions from project partners, artists, and guest speakers offer a reflection on how participatory practices intersect with the dynamics of colonialism within the arts and cultural sector.
Capacity building 2 / Environment
A summary of the key contents of the second capacity-building workshop, focused on environmental issues and held in Larnaca in January 2025. Testimonials from project partners, artists, and invited speakers explore the intersections between environmental issues, capitalism, and colonialism. The colonial history of Cyprus – a strategic location in the Mediterranean from antiquity to the present day – served as a starting point to discuss the relationship between climate change and climate justice, the concept of the colonization of the sea as a form of contemporary colonialism, and the sustainability of artistic and cultural organization.
Capacity building 3 / Gender
A collection of the main insights from the third capacity-building workshop, focused on gender and held in Barcelona in July 2025. Contributions from project partners, artists, and speakers analyze the connection between gender dynamics and colonialism in the artistic and cultural sector. Starting from the premise that decolonization means radically changing a Eurocentric narrative, participants address topics such as the body as a tool of care and resistance, inclusion fostered by feminist, Afro-feminist, and community-rooted practices, and the importance of recognizing systemic structures that generate inequalities and exclude those who do not conform to the dominant narrative.
Capacity building 4 / Social inclusion
An analysis of the main themes of the fourth capacity-building workshop, focused on social inclusion and held in Amsterdam in January 2026. Contributions from project partners, artists, and keynote speakers examine the relationship between inclusive practices and colonial dynamics in the artistic and cultural sector. The talks highlight the importance of considering colonialism not only in relation to the past but also in the contemporary era, recognizing the role that cultural institutions – although often shaped by a colonial past – can play as spaces for dialogue, and implementing cultural policies centered on training sector professionals to foster shared, co-creative processes with diverse audiences for the re-signification of heritage.
You can find them all on our youtube channel at this link
Or on the project website contesteddesires.eu
