Celia Vara
Performance art; corporeal agency; kinesthesia; research-creation; feminism
With a background and professional practice in psychology, Celia Vara is an artist, educator, curator, and postdoctoral fellow at 51吃瓜网. Her work bridges feminist theory, research-creation, and embodied methodologies. She explores kinesthesia, movement, and how agency and feminist resistance emerge through the body, drawing on 1970s feminist performance and contemporary embodied research-creation methodologies. She holds a Ph.D. in Communication from Concordia University (2019), where her thesis, Kinesthetic Knowledge and Corporal Agency, received an 鈥渆xcellent鈥� ranking in the oral defense. Her master鈥檚 thesis, Feminist Video Art in the 70s in Spain, won the 1st Prize in Gender and Research from Jaume I University in 2013.
She has served as Principal Investigator on several research, knowledge mobilization, and public scholarship initiatives funded by the Fonds de recherche du Qu茅bec 鈥� Soci茅t茅 et culture (FRQSC), the R茅seau d鈥櫭﹖udes f茅ministes du Qu茅bec (R茅QEF), and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies (IGSF, 51吃瓜网). Her leadership in these projects demonstrates a sustained commitment to connecting academic research with broader communities and to advancing feminist and publicly engaged scholarship.
Her research and media work have appeared in publications including Journal Feral Feminisms, Institute for Research on Women (Rutgers University), McGraw Hill Editorial, Arte y Pol铆ticas de Identidad, Humanities and Entropy (MDPI, Switzerland), Journal of Embodied Research (University of Huddersfield, UK), Asparkia Investigaci贸 Feminista, and Feminism and Psychology.
Her pedagogical approach has been recognized with the 2024 Teaching Excellence Award at 51吃瓜网. She has been appointed to co-supervise doctoral theses in the PhD program in Art Studies and Practices - Doctorat en 茅tudes et pratiques des arts (D脡PA) at Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al (UQAM).
Her research interests include kinesthesia, movement, kinesthetic empathy, corporeal processes of consciousness, perception, corporeal agency, feminist pedagogies, and embodied research-creation methodologies. Her working languages are Spanish (mother tongue), English, and French.
Ph.D. Communication, Concordia University聽(2019)
M.A. Gender and Equality, Jaume I University, Spain (2009)
B.A. Psychology, University of Murcia, Spain (1997)
- Publications
- Video and Performance
- Curatorial Projects
- Workshops and Embodied Methodologies
- Video聽Guest Speaker
Publications
Footprints, silhouettes and maps: Feminist somatic traces. Asparkia. Investigaci贸 Feminista (48). ISSN: 1132- 8231/ e-ISSN: 2340-4795.聽2026.
Somatic Threads: Body, Gesture and Memory in dialogue with the landscape in Performance and Nature Embodiment (ed. Valerie de la Dehesa). Servicio de publicaciones Piscis and the Faculty of Arts at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM).聽2025.
video-article in vol.7.2 Special Issue on 鈥淓cologies of Embodiment鈥�. Journal of Embodied Research. Freely online via Open Library of Humanities. 2024.
. hexagram. r茅seau de recherche-cr茅ation en arts, cultures et technologies. 2023.
"" (Humanities MDPI Special Issue 12(6) 鈥淲ith-In Bodies: Research Assemblages of the Sensory and the Embodied鈥�) Freely online (open Access). 2023.
鈥溾��. Mart铆n, M.脕.; Vara, C.; Garc铆a-Guti茅rrez, C. Entropy 2023, 25, 711.
鈥溾�� in Arte y educaci贸n en contextos multidisciplinares (p. 854-869) Freely online (open Access). 2023.
"" [Heart Guts]. REJOINDER. Issue 7, Spring 2022.
"" Performance Research. A Journal of the Performing Arts. Volume 26, 2021 鈥� Issue 3: On Perception
" Performance Research. A Journal of the Performing Arts. Volume 26, 2021 鈥� Issue 4: On (Un)Knowns
". Germinal. Sobre l鈥檕bra de Fina Miralles. Documenta Universitaria (Girona). 2020.
Co-author (G谩mez Fuentes, M.J. and Vara, C.) 鈥淟enguajes y sexismo (SRM007)鈥� in Senent-Vidal, M.J & T茅llez Infantes, A. (eds.) Manual de Igualdad Efectiva de Mujeres y Hombres en el 脕mbito P煤blico y Privado. Publicacions de la Universitat Jaume I. 2021.
"". Art and Identity Policies, 21, 96鈥�119, 2019.
Video and Performance
. Rencontres Interdisciplinaires. Agora du Coeur des Sciences. Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al (UQAM) and hexagram. r茅seau de recherche-cr茅ation en arts, cultures et technologies. 2024.
鈥溾��. Pilot video for a (coming soon) documentary with filmmaker Iv贸 Vinuesa. 2023.
鈥溾�� at Poetics+Politics 4 University of California, Santa Cruz. 2019.
"" (Collaboration in Performance with Alexandra Rodes) at Museo Universitario de Alicante (MUA) (pages 36-39). 2019.
鈥溾�� at RUTGERS 鈥� Institute for Research on Women. 2016.
鈥溾��. 2016.
"(Collaboration in Performance with Alexandra Rodes). 2013.
"" at feral feminisms and RUTGERS-Center for Women in the Arts and Humanities. 2013.
Curatorial Projects
鈥� Vid茅o Performance: Catalonia, Pays Basque, Qu茅bec. Screening and workshop. Cin茅ma Beaumont. M茅duse (Coop茅rative d'organismes culturels et de centres d'artistes). Qu茅bec. 2025.
鈥� Vid茅o Performance: Catalonia, Pays Basque, Qu茅bec. Screening and workshop. Centre culturel Georges-Vanier. Montreal. 2025.
Dar Cuerpo al Cuerpo: Sensorial instructions for feminist political declarations: Spain and Caribe. Casa Mella Russo (Santo Domingo) Dominican Republic.聽2025.
". Groupe Intervention Video (GIV) (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). 2024.
"," MO(U)VEMENT(S) 鈥� HTMlles 2024 feminist festival of media arts and digital culture organized by Ada X - feminist artist-run centre (Montreal, Quebec, Canada).
鈥溾�� Centre d鈥檃rts Santa M貌nica 鈥� Barcelona (Catalonia). 2024.
鈥溾�� Centre d鈥檃rts Santa M貌nica 鈥� Barcelona (Catalonia). 2024.
鈥� Centro Cultural de Espa帽a en Santo Domingo CCESD (Dominican Republic). 2018. []
"鈥�. Feminist Media Studio 鈥� Communication Studies 鈥� Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). 2017.
Workshops and Embodied Methodologies
鈥� Vid茅o Performance: Espagne, Pays Basque, Qu茅bec. Screening and workshop. Cin茅ma Beaumont.聽M茅duse (Coop茅rative d'organismes culturels et de centres d'artistes).聽2025.
鈥� Vid茅o Performance: Espagne, Pays Basque, Qu茅bec. Screening and workshop. Centre culturel Georges-Vanier. Montreal.聽2025.
Embodied methodologies: Kinesthetic Empathy: Dar Cuerpo al Cuerpo. Casa Mella Russo (Santo Domingo) Dominican Republic.聽2025.
鈥溾�� Centre d鈥檃rts Santa M貌nica 鈥� Barcelona (Catalonia). 2024.
鈥淩e-orienting gestures, sensing relationally: a workshop to cultivate kinesthetic empathy鈥�. Uncommon Senses IV: Sensory Ecologies, Economies, and Aesthetics. Centre for Sensory Studies. Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). 2023.
鈥溾��. ISEA2022 鈥� International Synmposium on Electronic Art. Barcelona (Catalonia). 2022.
鈥溾��. Uncommon Senses III Conference: Back to the future of the senses. Centre for Sensory Studies. Concordia University (Montreal, Quebec, Canada). 2021.
鈥溾��. Centro Cultural de Espa帽a en Santo Domingo. Agencia Espa帽ola de Cooperaci贸n Internacional al Desarrollo. 2018.
Video Guest Speaker
2025 鈥溾�� III Congreso Internacional GAIA. Sculpture between body and territory.
2020 鈥溾��. C谩tedra Anneta Nicoli: C谩tedra Institucional de Estudios Art铆sticos. Facultad de Bellas Artes. Universidad Miguel Hern谩ndez.
2019 鈥溾�� C谩tedra d鈥檃rt i cultura contemporanis. Departament d鈥橦ist貌ria i Hist貌ria de l鈥橝rt. Universitat de Girona.
2018. . Dominican Republic.
- FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellowship 鈥� Knowledge Mobilization Plan 2025
- Teaching Excellence Award (APF, 51吃瓜网) 2024
- Associate Professor Accreditation (ANECA and Ministerio de Universidades, Spain) 2024
- FRQSC Postdoctoral Research-Creation Fellowship, 2022-2024
- IVLA Deborah Curtis Artist Fellowship, 2024
- R茅QEF Appui Projets Scientifics, 2023-2024
- ThinkSwiss Research Scholarship, Fonds National Suisse (FNS), Universit茅 de Lausanne (UNIL), 2017
- Hexagram Research Creation Fellowship, 2016
- Rona and Robert Davis Fellowship, 2016
- Concordia University Merit Scholarship, 2014
- UJI Prize Award Gender and Research - Universitat Jaume I, 2014
University Academic/Teaching Positions
2025+ PhD Thesis Co-Supervision (Research Guidance) 鈥� Programme de doctorate en 脡tudes et pratiques des Arts. Facult茅 des arts. Universit茅 du Qu茅bec 脿 Montr茅al (UQAM).
2020+ Thesis Master Supervision (Research Guidance) Master Gender Studies.鈥� Universidad Internacional de Valencia (VIU)
2011+ Master Equality and Gender, University Jaume I (Spain) (2011-now) Women and Art. (2011-2014), SRM007 Gender and Media (2014-2025)
2025 Seminar on Qualitative Methodologies. POLI 313 Introduction to Qualitative Methods. Department of Political Sciences. 51吃瓜网 (Montreal, QC, Canada).
2024 Seminar on Qualitative Methodologies. POLI 432 The Politics of Art. Department of Political Sciences. 51吃瓜网 (Montreal, QC, Canada).
2023 ENGL 472: Special Topics: Cultural Studies 2. Feminist Cultural Studies: Video and Performance. Department of English. 51吃瓜网 (Montreal, QC, Canada).
2020 Seminar on Qualitative Methodologies. Pr谩cticas del Cuerpo. Estudios de Performance. Seminar on Qualitative Methodologies. Departamento de Historia del Arte. Universidad de Barcelona.
2017 COMS 368 Media and Gender - Department of Communication Studies - Concordia University (QC, Canada)
2016 COMS 304K/2 Selected Topics in Film Studies 鈥� Communication Media and Special Effects. History, Aesthetics and Evolving Technologies. (Fall 2016) Teaching Assistant. Department of Communication Studies - Concordia University (QC, Canada).
2016 COMS 435 Advanced Topics in Documentary, Film and video (Winter 2016). Teaching Assistant. Department of Communication Studies - Concordia University (QC, Canada).
2015 COMS 493 Advanced Topics: Video III (Fall 2015). Teaching Assistant. Department of Communication Studies - Concordia University (QC, Canada)
2014 COMS 210. Media Criticism (Fall 2014). Department of Communication Studies - Concordia University (QC, Canada).
Teaching Positions
2020 Professor Departamento de Servicios Socioculturales y a la Comunidad 鈥� Vocational School - Instituto de Educaci贸n Secundaria 鈥� Generalitat Valenciana. (2020-2022)
2009 Gender and Equality Area. Ayuntamiento de Murcia (Spain)-Gender-based violence: evaluation, diagnosis and treatment (2009)
2006 Gender Area - Agencia Espa帽ola de Cooperaci贸n Internacional 鈥� (Dominican Republic)- Gender and Development. Gender and education. Gender-based violence: prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment (2006)
2005 Gender Institute for Equality, Generalitat Valenciana (Spain)- Gender-based violence: prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment. Gender Relations and Structures. Construction of gender identities. (1998-2005)
2001 Direcci贸n de Seguridad P煤blica, Generalitat Valenciana (Spain)- Gender-based violence: prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment (1999-2001)
2000 Facultad de Psicolog铆a 鈥� University Miguel Hern谩ndez (Spain)- Gender-based violence: prevention, evaluation, diagnosis and treatment (2000)