7,330 Miles to Support the Mobility of 5 Art Projects in European Cities within the Second Edition of Zad: Miles for Connection

Ettijahat—Independent Culture announces the grantees of the second round of the Zad: Miles for Connection program in 2024. Zad is a support framework designed to promote mobility and communication for artists from the Arab region living in Europe. Its main objective is to develop their artistic and professional path. Additionally, Zad assists artists in reaching and engaging with different audiences, all while enhancing their contributions to public life within the cities and countries where they reside and work.
The jury selected five art projects, from categories of visual arts to music and performing arts. The artists will travel 7,330 miles across Europe, presenting their work in new spaces and meeting audiences they have never met before.
The jury for the 2024 edition of the program consists of filmmaker Amal Ramsis, cultural director and activist Geoliane Arab, and Director of Shubbak Festival Alia Alzougbi.
Zad is still accepting artist applications all year long, with the next application deadline set for February 28, 2025.

Supported Projects 

Shouka – Tunisian-French Label | 2,560 miles across several cities in France and in Berlin, Germany

Shouka will present their first concert in Berlin organized by the Mushtaq initiative. The evening event explores the musical transformations arising from the fusion of traditional roots from the Mediterranean and North African region with global political and economic influences. The concert aims to create a musical audiovisual experience. In their productions, Shouka members blend experimental music, African and Latin rhythms, spiritual folk rituals, and contemporary electronic sounds.  

Chada Halawani – Lebanese multidisciplined performance artist | 1,790 miles between Berlin, Germany and Cilento, Italy 

At ExOrto Danza Performing Arts Center in Cilento, Italy, Chada will develop and present her artistic project “Danse Work”, a creative participatory art project that combines dance and interactive social action to address migration and asylum issues and their psychosocial impacts on those who have experienced them. The project includes a range of diverse activities, including workshops with artists and local residents, as well as live dance performances targeting all age groups. The project is carried out in collaboration with the Italian association Erratica.

Fatma Oussaifi – Tunisian dancer and choreographer | 1,780 miles between Paris, France and Munich and Berlin, Germany

Fatma will present her performance “Matrimonia” in partnership with dancer Rosalie Wanka at YAAM (Young African Art Market) in Berlin. It is a dance performance that combines theater, contemporary dance, and tango to explore female relationships and gender heritage. Through the struggles of solidarity and sisterhood, experiences of rivalry and fear, moments of empathy and love evolve, as they realize that their journey is not a confrontational but a path to wisdom.

Reem Yassouf – Syrian visual artist | 800 miles between Rouen, France and Kassel, Germany

Reem will present her solo exhibition at the Kunsbalkon Gallery in Kassel, Germany. The exhibition features a collection of sculptures and installation works that address the profound impact of loss on our bodies over time. Using simple, everyday materials and focusing on repetition, the works create a deep conversation with memory, and the oscillating between presence and absence. They also evoke a connection with time, defining a new visual identity that connects the present with the past. The exhibition is accompanied by a workshop and an interactive performance with the audience.

Marina Kasouha – Syrian visual artist | 400 miles between Turin, Italy and Zurich, Switzerland

Marina will present her visual project “Corridors” at the Aramaic Relief International headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The project explores the profound concept of war through individual and collective experiences. Further, it raises questions about how we experience war internally, and how we can confront our suffering and pain, whether in world wars or psychological warfare. The project highlights the importance of understanding our collective responsibility in facing these challenges, and how we can overcome pain and conflict through courage and determination. The exhibition aims to encourage reflection and contemplation on our role in this changing world.

Jury Statement on the Project Evaluations during the Two 2024 Cycles of the Zad Program

The jury examined the travel and mobility applications of artists from the Arab region residing in Europe for two cycles of Zad: Miles for Communication program in 2024. The jury believes that the program reflects an urgent need to support the mobility of artworks in a European political context characterized by shifts in institutional positions. Several artists from the Arab region face difficulties in accessing financial and institutional support and find themselves further excluded from available opportunities in an increasingly complex context. This limits their opportunities and options for development, recognition, networking, travel, accommodation, and living costs often constitute major obstacles to participation in cultural platforms and spaces.
The jury examined diverse artistic files and promising projects characterized by experimentation and aspiration for discovery. Through the 2024 editions, the jury recognized the desire of artists to share their works with new audiences, build networks that go beyond familiar boundaries, and test new ideas. This is reinforced by the invitations they receive, mostly from outside familiar and established spaces, festivals, and gatherings.

The jury noted that most of the projects were in the performing arts and visual arts categories, with few cinematic or literary projects. This may reflect the nature of the needs, but the jury sees it as an opportunity for the program to expand the circle of participants, which will subsequently enhance their opportunities for development, discovery, and work.

The jury recommends that artists explore new frameworks and methods to develop their artistic and intellectual projects and networks, without adhering to specific themes or agendas that may be imposed by European contexts and their social and political developments. The jury also recommends that those in charge of the Zad program maintain its flexibility and be true allies and partners to the artists amid the challenges and difficulties they face to meet their needs, which may be ever-changing and unexpected.

For more details about the Zad Program, please click here. To read the FAQs and access the application form, please click here. You can also click here to join the open Q&A session that will be held on February 3, 2024, at 3:00 PM Western European Time, where we will answer questions about the nature of support and the application process of the program.

This edition Zad: Miles for Communication program is launched with the support of the Allianz Foundation.