The setting for the New World Summit in Berlin’s Sophiensaele. The flags are all of organizations on the ‘designated terrorist lists’. Showing one of them might be a crime, but as a whole they qualify as an artwork. All photos courtesy of Jonas Staal and his team
I chaired a summit and helped curate a project designed by the Dutch artist Jonas Staal in Berlin on 4 and 5 May, as part of the Berlin Biennial. Continue reading
The National Museum of Riyadh is a very interesting museum designed by the Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama (figs 1 & 2). It was inaugurated in 1999. It is located on the grounds of the Murabba Palace that was built by King Abdul Aziz in 1936/37 north of what was then Riyadh, a small and congested walled city. Many of the buildings of this palatial complex that fell into disuse in the early 1950s have been beautifully restored, and together with the gardens that surround them they form one of the only large public spaces in Riyadh (figs 3 & 4). Many people come here to stroll, picnic and watch other passers-by. Continue reading
‘I am Anything, I am Everything’ is a book/catalogue I wrote on the recent work of Saudi artist Ayman Yossri Daydban for the Athr Gallery in Jeddah. The book is fully online here on my Issuu publishing page.
Enjoy the read!
This is part of a catalogue I wrote to accompany the new solo show by Ayman Yossri Daydban at Athr Gallery. The book was launched yesterday. Continue reading
I’m participating in a program called ‘Art of the Revolution’ in De Balie in Amsterdam, with a presentation of how social and cultural developments are behind the art that is emerging in the Gulf countries (with a focus on Saudi Arabia, the Emirates and Kuwait). My presentation will provide a counterpoint to the usual overview of how governments in the region are creating massive cultural districts with imported skills and talent, by examining the artists themselves within their context.
After my presentation there will be a discussion
See www.debalie.nl/art for more information about the program. Highlights are a performance by Tashweesh and a concert of Zeid and the Wings, later in the evening.
My presentation is on Saturday December 10 at 3 pm.
I will also present some works by the Syrian artist Mahmoud Dayoub (see my following post) in the Balie cafe
Ayman Yossri Daydban: I wanted peace but prepared for war (from his Subtitles series, 2009)
I recently set up an exhibition in the headquarters of the Humanistic Institute for Development Cooperation (Hivos) in The Hague. The works are by the young Syrian artist Mahmoud Dayoub. Hivos headquarters are situated on the Raamweg 16 in The Hague and the exhibition can be seen every weekday during office hours (8am to 6pm) until 7 December 2011.
Mahmoud Dayoub, untitled; oil on canvas, 180 x 140 cm, 2011
This unfinished building overlooking the US Embassy compound was probably used by the Taliban in the current attack.
In 2009, while visiting Kabul, I was astonished by the fortifications that had arisen around a large swathe of land comprising the US Embassy, NATO headquarters, the Presidential Palace, key ministries and other embassies. Given the hilly topography and urban layout of Kabul, this cordoning off of a large chunk of the centre caused considerable traffic and access problems for ordinary Kabulis. Continue reading
This post is in Dutch because it concerns a Dutch-language radio programme I made about contemporary art in the Middle East, presented as a course in 4 chapters (one every evening)
Op verzoek van het VPRO programma ‘De Avonden’ heb ik vier avonden lang een ‘cursus’ gegeven over hedendaagse kunst in het Midden-Oosten. De uitleveringen werden van 28 juni t/m 1 juli uitgezonden.
Aflevering 1: algemene introductie
Aflevering 2: hedendaagse kunst in Saoedi Arabie
Aflevering 3: de verdwenen kunstenaars van Irak
Aflevering 4: kunst in Syrie en huidige toestand
Iedere aflevering begint tussen de 3 en 6 minuten na aanvang van het programma en duurt zo’n 10 minuten
Why the art sector cannot justify its continued existence
The idea that societies could be reformed (modernized) through general access to culture, also high culture, was part of the modernist project for Western societies. These ideals were stated most forcefully in the 1920s and 30s by the avant-garde. They became mainstream in the post-war era, when the leaders of the Western world were looking for social-political models that could prevent the recurrence of the devastating world wars while avoiding a communist insurrection of the masses. Continue reading
RobertK presentation of Middle Eastern art at Flying Dinner, Paris. Photo Lea Santamaria
The Flying Dinner team (curator and contemporary art specialist Samantha Barroero and art & wine-expert Linda Grabe) invited me to give a presentation of contemporary Middle Eastern art in Paris, for a select group of collectors, curators and other specialists that were brought together for a lovely Moroccan lunch. The event took place on March 19 2011, after I returned from the Sharjah Biennial and Art Dubai. Continue reading