Live conversation HOME #4: The politics of autonomous art

Exhibition HOME at Framer Framed, Foto: Marlise Steeman

2 Sep 2017
15:00 - 17:00

Live conversation HOME #4: The politics of autonomous art

On Saturday 2 September the next ánd final Live Conversation in the context of our exhibition HOME will take place. The focus is the exhibition concept of HOME, the art project Destroyed House Gaza by Marjan Teeuwen and the curatorial concept of Meta Knol.

From exhibition HOME, questions arise about autonomous art in a highly politicised environment. How do the meanings of the artwork change when it travels from the context of Gaza’s public space in the Netherlands, into a highly specific setting of the white cube? What ethical considerations and social responsibilities are implicated when initiating an art project in a war situation? How can assumptions about the universality of art be assessed when they are posited from a privileged position into a situation of repression? Where can we draw the line between ‘autonomous art’ and ‘socially engaged art’?

We will go into conversation with:
Salem Al Qudwa, Palestinian architect (through Skype),
Meta Knol, curator and director of Museum de Lakenhal,
Jaïr Stranders, philosopher and theatre maker.

The conversation will be moderated by Chris Keulemans

Free entry

On the speakers:
Meta Knol curated the exhibition HOME at Framer Framed. She is director of Museum De Lakenhal in Leiden, the Netherlands. Knol studied art history at Utrecht University. After having received her MA, she has realized exhibitions, has written on the visual arts and has been involved in several cultural projects. Knol has always been an advocate of renewal in the museum sector and is one of the initiators as well as former board member of Framer Framed.

Jaïr Stranders is philosopher, theatre maker and teacher. He currently teaches at AHK Academy for Theatre and Dance, HKU Theatre and Jeugdtheaterhuis, he is co-founder of the theatre manifestation Theater Na de Dam and member of the Amsterdamse Kunstraad’s board. He recently published an article in de Theaterkrant on the role of art, political activism and socially engaged art. Read: http://bit.ly/2xqmBf4

Salem Al Qudwa is an architectural engineer who graduated from the Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) in 2003. In January 2015 he enrolled as a full-time PhD by Design Researcher at the School of Architecture at Oxford Brookes University. In addition to practicing architecture, he was a part-time teacher at the Department of Architectural Engineering in IUG. With a particular interest in fundamental design subjects; Creative Free-hand Sketching and Visual Training, Salem has been active within architectural design education teaching Landscape Design, Architectural Design Studio, Interior Architecture and Architectural Criticism. He recently published a critical piece ‘Your Art Work in Gaza, the Rubble House‘ on ‘Destroyed House Gaza’ by Marjan Teeuwen which is part of exhibition HOME. Salem will join the conversation via Skype.

Moderator
Chris Keulemans is a Dutch writer, journalist and teacher. He grew up in Baghdad, Iraq. Keulemans was artistic director of the Tolhuistuin until September 2014. In 1984 he founded the literary bookshop Perdu in Amsterdam. During the nineties, Keulemans worked at De Balie, Centre for culture and politics in Amsterdam, first as a curator, later as director. He has published books, fiction and nonfiction, as well as numerous articles on art, social movements, migration, music, cinema and war for national newspapers.

Contested Heritage / Middle East / Palestine /