Qalandiya International 2016
This Sea is Mine
Dates: 5th – 31st October, 2016
A collaborative contemporary art event that takes place every two years, QI brings together 16 art and cultural organizations for the 2016 edition who have joined forces to organize a comprehensive program of events both within and beyond Palestine. ‘This Sea is Mine’ contemplates the subject of return and refuge for Palestine and the region through a series of exhibitions, performances and talks, as well as film screenings, workshops and tours, between the 5th and 31st of October.
On Wednesday, October 5th, ‘This Sea is Mine’ launches with a simultaneous inaugural program of exhibition openings across Palestine and the diaspora, in Haifa, Gaza, Beirut, Amman and London.
A press conference will take place in Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center (Ramallah) onOctober 4th, followed by exhibition tours and meetings with some of the organizers and curators.
The Arab Culture Association in Haifa presents ‘The People of the Sea’, addressing the motif of the sea as a visual artistic medium through a comprehensive photographic exhibition combining photography, photography-based installation and video works. While on the southern side of the same coast, barred by a siege and a 6 nautical mile ban, Gaza opens with ‘This Sea is Mine’, co-organized by Eltiqa Group and Shababek for Contemporary Art.
“In Gaza, the sea carries many meanings. It is where people go to find some calm and peace of mind, but it is also a reminder of the limits on freedom” explain curators Raed Issa and Shareef Sarhan. “Yet, the sea also represents our current homeland, as well as what we have lost, and is part of our daily life.”
‘Sea of Stories’ at Dar El Nimer for Arts and Culture in Beirut explores the displacements and imagined returns of the Palestinian community in Lebanon throughout the Mediterranean Sea, a site that bears testament to the journeys of displacement as well as possible routes of return.
Openings will extend to Darat Al Funun-Khalid Shoman Foundation in Amman, where seven Palestinian artists based in Jordan have been commissioned to respond to this year’s theme and its ideas around the Palestinian right of return, resulting in works representing a range of personal perspectives, unveiled truths and intertwined questions.
The Palestine Regeneration Team (PART), a design-led research group in London, explores alternative means of re-reading ‘Air’, ‘Land’ and ‘Sea’ within the region through their exhibition and complementary program, ‘Moments of Possibilities’, suggesting a world where the invisible can be rendered again as visible and where the subject of return is achievable.
Exhibition openings will continue the following two weeks in and around Jerusalem, Ramallah and Bethlehem. The Jerusalem Show VIII: ‘Before and After Origins’ (Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art) and ‘RE/viewing Jerusalem #2: REturn’ (Al Hoash-Palestinian Art Court) will open in Shu’fat refugee camp and across the Old City. Ramallah, Al-Bireh and Birzeit host ‘A Series of Un-Curated Events’ by RIWAQ; ‘/Tilted/’ byMinRASY PROJECTS; The A.M. Qattan Foundation’s ‘Pattern Recognition’: Young Artist of the Year Award (YAYA); a solo exhibition for Jumana Emil Abboud, ‘O Whale, Don’t Swallow Our Moon’ (Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center); ‘Sites of Return‘ (Ramallah Municipality); and Cities Exhibition 5: ‘Gaza – Reconstruction’ (International Academy of Art Palestine/Birzeit University Museum). In Bethlehem, Dar Al-Kalima University College of Arts & Culture presents the photography award exhibition ‘Humans from Palestine’.
During the month-long program, QI invites over 100 Palestinian and international artists, curators, writers and researchers to participate in its programs, and expects to engage over 15,000 visitors.
Press Conference and Tour: Tuesday, 4 October 2016
11:00–12.30 // Press Conference: Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center, 4 Rajaa’ St, Ramallah
13:00–15:00 // Press Tour to Exhibition Spaces
Meeting Point: Khalil Sakakini Cultural Center