On Foreign Ground: A panel discussion in Brussels about survival strategies for artists in refuge

Ettijahat- Independent Culture, in association with the Goethe-Institut Brussels and in collaboration with S.M.A.K., will organize a panel discussion entitled On Foreign Ground on June 5^that 11 am in S.M.A.K. museum in Belgium.

The panel, which comes within the framework of the exhibition Invisible Beauty – Pavilion of Iraq, brings together three artists from Syria and Iraq. Sulafa Hijazi, Khaled Barakeh and Haider Jabbarsh share their experiences and survival strategies. Three artists on the run talk about what it means to be an artist on the run. Playwright, filmmaker and curator Nedjma Hadj will moderate the talk.

Like many other refugees, artists on the run can often only take the basics in their back packs. Shipping their tools is out of the question. Their workshops and oeuvre are left behind. The network meticulously constructed over the years is gone. Everything has to be rebuilt, often from scratch. And if all this was not enough, it is not always clear what is legally allowed. One needs official paperwork, if one wants to work. How does one prove that he or she is an artist? Without a catalogue. Without an agent or gallery. How does one go about it? Who can offer a helping hand? And what about the artistic impulses? Are they still there? Are they still the same?

These questions are tackled by film director and visual artist Sulafa Hijazi and visual artist Khaled Barakeh, both born in Damascus. They are joined by visual artist HaiderJabbar from Iraq. Sulafa Hijazi and Khaled Barakeh found refuge in Berlin, Haider Jabbar currently lives in a Belgian refugee center. They were confronted with a series of specific problems that artists on the run are facing. Without wanting to, they became specialists in the subject matter. What they have to say will undoubtedly give rise to an interesting talk.

Open invitation and free admission.

To know more about the participation artists and the event, please click here.