El Círculo It participates, together with the Royal Academy of Arts in London and the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, in the organization of a new meeting of the European Alliance of Academies, which will take place on October 28 and 29 at the University of Oxford.

Under the title "Brexit, ten years later: what future for the arts and humanities?", the conference proposes to analyze the consequences that the United Kingdom's departure from the European Union has had on the cultural, artistic and academic life of the continent, as well as to explore new ways to rebuild links and forms of cooperation between the United Kingdom and Europe.

2026 marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum. During this decade, artists, teachers, students, and cultural professionals have faced new restrictions on mobility and collaboration, while numerous institutions have seen networks and alliances built over years weaken.

The event will bring together artists, writers, legal experts, institutional representatives, and cultural professionals from various European countries and the United Kingdom in Oxford. Through conferences and roundtables, topics such as artistic creation after Brexit, barriers to mobility, migration, rights, and the future of European cultural cooperation will be addressed.

El Círculo, Casa EuropaIt has been part of the European Alliance of Academies since its founding in 2020. This network brings together cultural institutions from across the continent with the aim of defending freedom of artistic creation and expression and promoting, through culture, values ​​such as democracy, justice and human rights.

The panel "Barriers and borders: looking for a way out" is part of the Re Europe Webinar Series 2026 and can be followed via streaming.

Wednesday, October 28 · All Souls College

9:30 to 9:45 a.m. – Welcome

With Manos Tsangaris , president of the European Alliance of Academies and of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, and Marina Warner , writer, professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

9:45 to 10:30 a.m. – Opening Conference

With Esther Kinsky , writer and literary translator.

Moderated by Marion Döring , Wim Wenders Foundation.

10:30 to 12:00 – Round table: «Living in “Brexile”: estrangement, art and writing»

With Patrick McGuinness , writer, academic and Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford; AE Stallings , poet, translator, essayist and Oxford Professor of Poetry 2023-2027; and the artists Jane and Louise Wilson.

Moderated by Eliza Bonham Carter , curator and director of the Royal Academy Schools at the Royal Academy of Arts.

13:30 to 15:30 h – Round table: «Barriers and borders: looking for a way out»

With Cécile Lee , editor and director of Les Fugitives; Emlyn Stam , New European Ensemble; Eloise Fornieles , artist and British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow at the British School at Rome; and Ian Christie , film historian and filmmaker.

Moderated by Iryna Yuferova , art advisor, cultural strategist and representative of the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine.

This session will be streamed online as part of Re Europe Webinar Series 2026.

16 to 18 p.m. – Café Climate: Café Channel

With Katherine Collins , Research Fellow at Wolfson College; a representative from the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (to be confirmed); Susanne Clausen , artist, Professor of Fine Arts at the University of Reading and Director of Reading International; and Jovana Popic , multimedia visual artist and doctoral researcher in Anthropology.

Moderated on behalf of the Climate Group of the European Alliance of Academies are Cécile Wajsbrot , writer and translator; Petja Ivanova , artist, researcher, educator and performer;

Café Climate is an initiative of the Climate Group of the European Alliance of Academies that offers a space for open dialogue about the impact of the climate crisis on daily life, democracy, art, and culture. In an informal setting, international experts, artists, and the public will share conversations on these issues. The activity is especially geared towards students, but is open to all interested individuals.

Thursday, October 29 · Mansfield College

9 to 9:15 a.m. – Welcome

With Holk Freytag , European Alliance of Academies.

9:15 to 10 a.m. – Opening Conference

With Thangam Debbonaire , writer, politician and member of the House of Lords.

Moderated by Marina Warner , writer, Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

10:20 to 12:00 – Round table: «Mobility, migration and rights: the impact of post-Brexit legislation on the arts and humanities»

With Rana Dasgupta , novelist and essayist; Jessica Simor , lawyer specializing in public law, EU legislation and human rights; and Neil Kenny , former Head of Languages ​​at the British Academy and Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College.

Moderated by Helen Mountfield , a lawyer specializing in administrative law, human rights and equality and director of Mansfield College, Oxford.

12 to 12:15 h – Closing

With Valerio Rocco Lozano, director del Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, and Marina Warner, writer, professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Birkbeck College and Distinguished Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.