ART ISLANDS:Samos-A World Not Ours

Giannis Behrakis, Syrian Refugee, Eidomeni 10/9/15, Courtesy Giannis Behrakis/ReutersThe exhibition “A World Not Ours” takes place at the Art Space Pythagorion in Samos, the Schwarz Foundation’s venue in Greece. Samos is one of the three Greek islands (together with Lesbos and Kos), across the coast of Turkey that have been at the crux of the refugee crisis since 2015. Given the highly charged location, it is vital that an art exhibition there should address this situation, which has been an unremitting reality on the island, and a pressing, unresolved issue for the whole of Europe.

By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Schwarz Foundation Archive

“A World Not Ours” borrows its title from homonymous 2012 film by director Mahdi Fleifel, which in turn borrows its name from a book by the Palestinian writer Ghassan Kanafani (1936–72). The film is a portrait of three generations of exile in the refugee camp of Ein el-Helweh, in southern Lebanon, while the book speaks about diaspora and the search for identity. The exhibition focuses on the issue of the refugee crisis and forced migration by bringing together a group of artists, photographers, filmmakers and activists who offer different reactions, reflections, and analyses on the subject. Bringing together diverse practices from installation, performance, photography, film, video and photojournalism, the participants in the exhibition largely transcend one-sided and standardised media representations of the crisis (mostly consisting of rickety boats and images related to the perilous sea crossing) and look into the before and after this dramatic moment. The work on view provides deeper insight into the plight of the refugees, from a humanitarian point of view, acknowledges the complex roots of one of the most pressing issues of our time, while contextualising it into the larger global picture. Participating artists: Yannis Behrakis, Tanja Boukal, Róza El-Hassan, Ninar Esber, Mahdi Fleifel, Marina Gioti, Juice Rap News, Sallie Latch, Yorgos Moutafis and Diller Scofidio & Renfro, Mark Hansen, Laura Kurgan, and Ben Rubin in collaboration with Robert Gerard Pietrusko and Stewart Smith.

Info: Curator: Katerina Gregos, Art Space Pythagorion, Samos, Duration: 5/8-15/10/16, www.schwarzfoundation.com

Giannis Behrakis, As the sun rises a dinghy overcrowded with Syrian refugees drifts in the AegeanSsea between Turkey and Greece, Kos 11/8/15, Courtesy Giannis Behrakis/Reuters
Giannis Behrakis, As the sun rises a dinghy overcrowded with Syrian refugees drifts in the AegeanSsea between Turkey and Greece, Kos 11/8/15, Courtesy Giannis Behrakis/Reuters

 

 

Tanja Boukal, Journeys, 2015, Courtesy the artist
Tanja Boukal, Journeys, 2015, Courtesy the artist

 

 

Tanja Boukal, Memories of Travels and Dreams, 2016, Courtesy the artist
Tanja Boukal, Memories of Travels and Dreams, 2016, Courtesy the artist

 

 

Ninar Esber, New York Vertigo, 2006, Courtesy the artist
Ninar Esber, New York Vertigo, 2006, Courtesy the artist

 

 

Ninar Esber, The Two Ladders, 2009 (Fes, Morocco), Courtesy the artist and L'Appartement 22-Rabat
Ninar Esber, The Two Ladders, 2009 (Fes, Morocco), Courtesy the artist and L’Appartement 22-Rabat

 

 

Ninar Esber, La Bonne Graine, 2012, Courtesy the artist and Galerie Imane Farès-Paris, Photo: Cici Olsson
Ninar Esber, La Bonne Graine, 2012, Courtesy the artist and Galerie Imane Farès-Paris, Photo: Cici Olsson

 

 

Mahdi Fleifel, A World Not Ours, 2012, Courtesy the artist & Nabka Filmworks
Mahdi Fleifel, A World Not Ours, 2012, Courtesy the artist & Nabka Filmworks

 

 

Mahdi Fleifel, A World Not Ours, 2012, Courtesy the artist & Nabka Filmworks
Mahdi Fleifel, A World Not Ours, 2012, Courtesy the artist & Nabka Filmworks