Art
All topics-
″Art of Freedom. Freedom of Art″ in Tunisia
Carving out a niche between terror and bureaucracy
Resulting from political changes in the wake of the Arab Spring five years ago, Tunisian artists have gained more freedom. But, as Sarah Mersch writes, those rights are under threat – from religious fanaticism and government pressure
-
The Israeli Press Photography Prize
″Local Testimony″
Every autumn, when the World Press Photo Award comes to Tel Aviv, some of the best press photographs by photojournalists from Israel and the Palestinian territories are chosen for display in the exhibition's "Local Testimony" section. Felix Koltermann reports from the Eretz Israel Museum
-
A central Museum of Migration in Germany
Recording the history of modern migration
DOMiD, the Documentation Center and Museum of Migration in Germany, has been collecting stories and personal objects from migrants for the past 25 years. Now, the association feels that the time has come to open a central museum of migration in Germany. By Stefan Dege
-
Interview with the Israeli artist Guy Briller
The Jerulin process
Two years ago Guy Briller left Jerusalem and moved to Berlin. Felix Koltermann talked to him about his extensive artwork in the Holy City, the new experiences he has gained in Berlin, questions of belonging and the relevance of the East-West conflict
-
″Hasret – Yearning″: Istanbul by Ben Hopkins
A director is commissioned to make a documentary about Istanbul. He starts to film its everyday life... but soon becomes drawn to the darker side of the city... its past, its secrets, its ghosts. Gradually he succumbs to obsession.
-
Photography in the Arab world
Casting the veil in a new light
Having spent three years in Saudi Arabia, English-born photographer Sebastian Farmborough felt he had to do something to counter the country's negative image in the West. He talks to Kate Muser about the project
-
Art from Iraq and the Armenian diaspora in Venice
A far cry from what we′ve seen before
While in the mass media, the war of images with and over Islamic State is making headlines, very little attention has been paid to the visual art being created in the region. To get an idea of the diversity of artistic production in the Arab world and the Middle East, head to this year′s international Venice Biennale. Felix Koltermann was in the city on the lagoon, and introduces the most exciting national contributions and artistic installations from the region
-
The National Museum in Beirut
Fighting to save the region's cultural heritage
As world heritage sites in Iraq and Syria continue to be bombed, blown up and bulldozed, the question as to what can be done to save their historical treasures has taken on a new urgency. The National Museum in Beirut is playing its part in trying to save the region's cultural heritage. By Juliane Metzker in Beirut
-
Exhibition: Political Art and Resistance in Turkey
The art of remembering
Protest art from Turkey, covering the period from the 1970s to the present day, is currently on show at the Neue Gesellschaft für bildende Kunst or nGbK (New Society for Visual Arts) in Berlin. But this exhibition is a little bit different in that it does not concern itself only with political resistance in Istanbul, but also with social protest in eastern Turkey. Ceyda Nurtsch took a look at the art on display and talked to the artists and the organisers
-
"Artjog" art exhibition in Indonesia
Putting art before cinema
This year's eighth "Artjog" art exhibition in the Indonesian city of Yogyakarta featured 103 works by 87 artists from 11 countries. Its theme, "Infinity in Flux", paid homage to the Fluxus movement of the 1960s, a movement dedicated to removing the boundaries between artistic disciplines, as well as those between works of art and their audiences. By Christina Schott
-
Fighting extremism through the medium of comics
"We needed to do more than just attend candlelight vigils"
"Paasban" (The Guardian) is a series of Pakistani comic books that seeks to fight extremism by raising awareness among young people. The books tell the story of a group of college friends who become worried when one of their number disappears. They later find out that he was recruited by an extremist organisation. Mustafa Hasnain, Gauhar Aftab and Yahya Ehsan came together to create "Paasban". Roma Rajpal Weiß spoke to Hasnain and Aftab about the series and the inspiration behind it
-
Culture policy in Egypt
The soothing power of culture
Egypt's new minister of culture sees mega-projects as a means to combat religious radicalism. There are even plans to rebuild the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria. By Joseph Croitoru