Image of “State of Palestine”, a fake Palestinian passport stamp designed by artist Khaled Jarrar, who adds the stamps to people’s passports
As much as the art world hashes out “global issues” to death in exhibitions and galleries, it can seem as though it runs a pretty clear do-as-I-say, not-as-I-do policy. Think Manifesta protests, Israeli cultural boycotts, and reports of Abu Dhabi slave labor.
Fortunately, the efforts of individuals and communities often look a lot different. Starting tonight, a group of activists, technologists, academics, and artists will be holding a workshop series at Undercurrent Projects called “10 Days/10 Ideas: an Incubator for Palestine”; the title refers to Hamas’ 10 demands for a ceasefire in the Gaza strip.
The series opens tonight at 5:00 PM, at Whitebox Art Center, where artist Khaled Jarrar will be beamed in from Palestine to his New York show, “No Exit”. Jarrar can’t attend in person because he’s been denied entry to the U.S.
Jarrar also has a film in the New Museum’s Here and Elsewhere, a show of recent art from the Arab world. In this morning’s review, Christian Viveros-Fauné notes that it’s New York’s first museum survey of art from that region—and it’s about time.
No matter the show’s drawbacks, experiencing it is like being introduced to a tribe of long lost colorful cousins, aunts and uncles. Even if you don’t get on with everyone, the takeaway is sympathetically simple: finally.
Hopefully the long-overdue focus will start the long-overdue conversation. Upcoming moderated workshops will focus on Action, Theory, and Technology, with the hopes that attendees will come up with direct political action.
The schedule below:
July 24th: Opening Session at 7:00 PM following a live Skype talk at 5:00 PM with Khaled Jarrar at Whitebox Art Center, 329 Broome Street, NYC
July 25th- 27th: Focus on Action (open from 5:00 – 9:00 PM) at Undercurrent Projects, 215 East 5th Street, NYC
July 28th – 30th: Focus on Theory (open from 5:00- 9:00 PM) at Undercurrent Projects, 215 East 5th Street, NYC
July 31st – August 2nd: Focus on Technology (open from 5:00 – 9:00 PM) at Undercurrent Projects, 215 East 5th Street, NYC
The series is curated by Myriam Vanneschi and co-produced and co-curated by Igor Molochevski, Rhett Jones, and Joseph Audeh and funded by an anonymous art collector. See the event flyer for more details.
Comments on this entry are closed.