Westminster hosts international Art as Social Justice symposium

Held in collaboration with the Tom of Finland Foundation and the Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland, the event marked the Foundation’s 40th anniversary and explored Tom of Finland’s impact on equality, acceptance and freedom of expression. The one-day event at Westminster’s Little Titchfield Street site featured keynote speakers, film screenings and panel discussions, providing a space to discuss key issues affecting LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.

The symposium used the life and legacy of the artist Tom of Finland as a starting point for discussion and investigated Tom’s immense artistic revolutionary influence, championing acceptance, liberty, equality, freedom of expression and fundamental social change, particularly in the period before the decriminalisation of homosexuality.

Westminster’s Professor Pippa Catterall, Professor of History and Policy, and Dr Daniel Conway, Reader in Politics and International Relations, shared their expertise at the symposium. Dr Conway participated in the panel on Pride, Protest and Diplomacy and presented a digital exhibition of photographs exploring the intersections and diversity of Pride programmes in South Africa, Mumbai and Hong Kong.

Professor Pippa Catterall delivered a talk titled Pride and Prejudice: LGBTQ+ Lives and the Long Shadows of Empire. Using the prism of post-colonial art, she examined the emergence of complex cultural-legal constructs related to race, class, gender and sexuality that arose from the spread of European empires in the 19th century and highlighted the continuing impact of their legacies on LGBTQ+ people today. Professor Catterall also spoke with Peter Parker, author of Some Men In London: Queer Life, 1945-1959, a study of post-war gay life in London, and opened up the room for a Q&A with the author.

About the event Professor Catterall said: "As several speakers emphasised, LGBTQ+ rights are being used as a wedge issue to undermine human rights and democracy around the world. Hearing from people like Peter Parker about how, despite a very hostile environment, partial decriminalisation of homosexuality was achieved in post-war Britain pointed to some of the ways these attacks can be resisted. As was also stressed throughout the discussion, art in all its forms can also help to spread awareness and understanding and build empathy and inclusivity, as Tom of Finland so clearly sought to achieve in his work."

This event directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.  

Find out more about the University of Westminster’s commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.