Arts, Spirituality, and Religion

Dear Colleagues,

Throughout history, art has played a central role in the articulation of spirituality and the experience of the sacred. From its integration into religious rituals and sacred spaces to its capacity to transcend institutional boundaries, art has been a profound vehicle for exploring humanity’s connection to the divine. The historical use of art in religious rituals and sacred spaces forms the foundation of this inquiry, revealing how visual, architectural, and performative arts have facilitated spiritual experiences across cultures and eras. Beyond historical frameworks, artistic expression remains a powerful medium for both personal and collective spirituality, enabling individuals and communities to grapple with existential questions and express devotion in innovative ways. As the relationship between the arts, spirituality, and religion evolves in increasingly secular societies, new questions emerge about their role in navigating metaphysical concerns. For example, digital media arts and electronic music festivals have emerged as transformative spiritual vehicles in contemporary society, offering novel ways to experience connection, transcendence, and meaning in modern contexts. This Special Issue aims to analyze the dynamic intersections of arts, spirituality, and religion, exploring how these domains historically and contemporarily shape the human experience. It seeks to observe and uncover how artistic practises can serve as profound vehicles for expressing the spiritual and the sacred while challenging and reinterpreting traditional religious narratives. Contributions spanning various artistic forms—visual arts, digital media arts, music, literature, performing arts, or architecture—aim to explore the role of fostering spiritual connection, religious devotion, and existential inquiry. Simultaneously, spirituality, which often transcends institutional religious frameworks, finds resonance in abstract and non-representational practises and esthetics, where ambiguity invites subjective interpretation and deeper introspection. This Special Issue invites interdisciplinary perspectives from art, theology, philosophy, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, and technology, among others, to illuminate the transformative power of artistic languages connected to the metaphysical and the divine. Simultaneously, contemporary reinterpretations of the sacred through abstract and non-representational art challenge conventional religious narratives, inviting subjective engagement and introspection. Contributions are encouraged to explore how the arts foster inter-religious dialogue and cultural inclusion, serving as bridges between diverse spiritual traditions. Examining these intersections seeks to foster a deeper understanding of how the arts continue to shape and be shaped by spiritual and religious experiences in a promptly changing world.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

1. The use of art in religious rituals and sacred spaces throughout history.
2. Artistic expression as a medium for personal and collective spirituality.
3. The role of the arts in inter-religious dialogue and cultural inclusion.
4. Contemporary reinterpretations of the sacred through abstract and non-representational art.
5. The evolution of the relationship between arts and spirituality in secular contexts.
6. Digital media arts as spiritual vehicles in contemporary society.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Fátima Matos Silva
Prof. Dr. Emília Simão
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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