feat.
Amer Al Akel, Hiba Alansari, Fadi Al Hamwi & Razan Sabbagh
16 November 2018 – 12 January 2019
Khaled Barakeh on IN BETWEEN:
November 15th at 9 pm sees the opening of IN BETWEEN at galerie postel, an exhibition curated by Khaled Barakeh, that brings together Syrian artists living in exile from different places in Germany. The exhibition presents a variety of media from video and installation to sculpture and painting. Yet the artists situations share common threads: They all have the same experience of in betweenness. Their roots, their home and present state, between an uncertain future and different cultures.
To be in between two states creates a constant tension. To be in exile creates a constant state of in between(ness). I had to leave; i have to return. I must maintain my roots; I must adapt. Can a home exist in memories and images alone or must it be lived in? Throughout history how often have homes been abandoned and how many times must this recur? How can exile lead to reconciliation and new modes of trans-cultural integration?
From Homer to Heine, exile is a repeated memory within human history. Each nation has their own narrative, and this is rarely more apparent than in the history of Germany. Political instability, war on many fronts and the migration of at least a quarter of its population after 1945 lead to the largest refugee crisis in European history. Individual members of society live by and suffer from the consequences of distant political decision making. It takes generations for countries to come to terms with historical guilt, repercussions of conflict, and for brutality on a mass scale to become part of a collective memory.
Since the height of the ‘Willkommenskultur’ in the summer of 2015, where multitudes of migrants arrived in exile to Germany, hospitality has turned to hostility. With recent events in Chemnitz, and the growth of anti- migration rhetoric propagated by German political parties, it appears again to be a moment in this ongoing historical orbit. The eternal paradox of exile: looking towards a future that remains anchored to its past.
The exhibition ‘In Between’ is a time-specific, time-immemorial group presentation of works by Syrian artists. Within the historical context of art in exile, the experiences of the Syrian people are indicative of this recurring theme. Focusing on one active group of artists, the exhibition invites reflection on the experience of international displacement, adaptation and the notion of home.
not to miss
Khaled Barakehs exhibition „The Blue Hour“ is on show at the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg 16 November 2018 until 13 January 2019
November 14th at 6 pm, an artist talk with Khaled Barakeh on his project „Syria Cultural Index“ takes place at the HFBK