The Art and Visual Anthropology (AVA) section of the FocaalBlog was developed and edited by Dr Massimiliano Mollona as a conceptual and discursive space in which artists, anthropologists, and art scholars are invited to reflect on how films and images can be used for social analysis and political struggle, as well as on broader debates on economic and social change. The AVA section had its own editorial board with Dr. Ricardo Leizaola (Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths College), Dr. Isaac Marrero-Guillamon (Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths College), Dr. Mathijs Pelkmans (Department of Anthropology, London School of Economics), Dr. Roger Sansi (Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths College), Dr. Chris Wright (Department of Anthropology, Goldsmiths College).

The AVA section of FocaalBlog contributed to restoring the political legacy of ethnographic practices in visual production and to explore the centrality of films and images in catalyzing political consciousness.

Reflecting a critical engagement with artists’ work, popular culture, and labor politics, the AVA in FocaalBlog had three sections: Platforms (discussions with filmmakers and artists), Close-Ups (discussions of visual and sound clips), and Fieldworks (discussions on the intersections of activism and film).