Artists Connecting in Transition
Residency program
arthereistanbul and partners are thrilled to announce the six exceptional artists who have been selected to take part in our new program Artists Connecting in Transition (ACT). Led by D6 (UK), with residency spaces MedeArts (Jordan) and arthereistanbul (Turkey), bringing in the expertise of the Fanak Fund who work across the Arab-speaking world, ACT sets out to connect artists whose practice has been disrupted by forced migration and address the challenges of artistic practice in exile.
Following a very competitive open call, the partners selected two artists based in each participating country:
Jordan: Hescham Karschan | Mohammed Bitar
Turkey: Ammar Alhamidi | Hazem Waked
UK: Amak Mahmoodian, Ph.D. | Zariq Rosita-Hanif
Funded by the British Council, ACT will involve a program of hybrid residencies, capacity-building workshops, and local exhibitions. It will support the practice of individual artists, give international visibility to their work, and share knowledge between organizations.
The number of people fleeing wars, violence, and human rights violations reached a new high by the end of 2020. ACT reconsiders new models for artist residencies in urban settings, addressing issues of reduced mobility due to exiled status. By connecting artists in their local contexts, in Irbid (border city to Syria), Istanbul (main crossroads in the Middle East), and Newcastle (interconnected hosting city), the project will contribute to addressing the inequalities of the periphery to center and face issues of equality for those with and without rights.
Meet the artists
Belonging Exhibition
Legacy program - Artists Connecting in Transition 2023
arthereistanbul and partners are delighted to announce the artists selected to take part in Belonging - a new virtual exhibition part of Artists Connecting in Transition (ACT).
ACT is an established residency program between studios supporting artists in exile. The program connects artists whose practice has been disrupted by forced migration and addresses the inequalities they face. Belonging is a chance to expand ACT’s network of artists, giving them support and international visibility. The virtual exhibition will showcase seven newly selected artists from a very competitive open call and four artists from recent ACT residencies.
The artists selected for Belonging are:
Ammar Alhamidi, Al Baraa Haddad, Myriam Dalal, Alia Gargum, Hescham Karschan, Oleksandra Lytvyn, Amak Mahmoodian, Majd Suliman, Mohamed Rabiei, Zariq Rosita-Hanif, Yuliia Syrenkova.
We would like to thank all the artists who took the time to apply.
The selected artists will receive curatorial support from the partners, and virtually meet and learn from each other. Curated by ACT partner arthereistanbul, Belonging will launch on 18 December.
The number of people displaced from their homes as a result of conflict, human rights violations, and the climate crisis reached a new high by the end of 2022. ACT reconsiders models for artist residencies, addressing issues of reduced mobility due to exiled status. By connecting artists and studios at a local level, as well as across borders, the project seeks to address the inequalities for those with and without rights.
Funded by the British Council, ACT is a partnership between arthereistanbul (Turkey), D6: Culture in Transit (UK), D6:EU (Cyprus), the Fanak Fund (France), and MedeArts (Jordan). Through a program of hybrid residencies, capacity-building workshops and local exhibitions over the past two years, ACT has set out paths for best practice and knowledge sharing. These learnings will be published in a report written by the Fanak Fund later this year.
Following the virtual exhibition, ACT will meet in Cyprus in March 2024 with the support of the Goethe Institute to host international conversations on working with artists in exile and to show work produced for the virtual exhibition.
Meet the artists
Belonging
Virtual Exhibition
Belonging - beyond the preconceived
18 December 2023
arthereistanbul and partners join with people around the world to mark International Migrants Day. Together we celebrate the diversity of migrant communities worldwide and reaffirm the importance of upholding the rights and dignity of all migrants and refugees.
Our new virtual exhibition Belonging features the work of 11 artists whose practice has been disrupted by forced migration. A driving force for this collaboration is our belief that everyone should have the right to freely participate in the cultural life of the community, as set out in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.
The artists taking part in Belonging are:
Ammar Al Hamidi, Baraa Haddad, Myriam Dalal, Alia Gargum, Hescham Al Karshan, Oleksandra Lytvyn, Amak Mahmoodian, Majd Suliman, Mohamed Rabiei, Zariq Rosita-Hanif and Yuliia Syrenkova.
Beyond borders, the virtual nature of the exhibition means that geography and mobility are not barriers. Nor is it limited by a gallery space, but is tailored to each artists’ ideas and work, adjusting itself to the content.
The curator Shirin Zeraaty says: “At the heart of the programme has been the chance to learn from artists who have adapted to new environments and found ways to pursue their artistic practice, despite huge challenges. This is a chance to remember that artists are individuals with diverse perspectives. I hope that people will engage with the artworks beyond preconceived notions.”
Belonging is part of Artists Connecting in Transition (ACT) - an international collaboration between artists in exile and studio spaces that support them.
In recent years, conflict, insecurity, and the effects of climate change and war have heavily contributed to forced movement, whether within countries or across borders. At the end of 2022, 108.4 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes. ACT reconsiders models for artist residencies, addressing issues of reduced mobility due to exiled status. By connecting artists and studios at a local level, as well as across borders and virtually, the project seeks to address the inequalities for those with and without rights.
In March 2024, Belonging will travel to Cyprus for a live showcase of the artworks at the Goethe Institut in Nicosia, along with international conversations to share best practice and learning to enable better support for artists with lived experience of displacement.
Funded by the British Council, ACT is a partnership between arthereistanbul (Turkey), D6: Culture in Transit (UK), the Fanak Fund (France) and MedeArts (Jordan). Through a programme of hybrid residencies, capacity building workshops, and local and virtual exhibitions over the past two years, ACT has set out paths for best practice and knowledge sharing.