Qalandiya International Qalandiya International is Palestine’s landmark contemporary Art event that will take place every year. The 0 edition will be launched from November 1 to 15, 2012 in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Gaza, Nazareth, and many other Palestinian towns and villages. Qalandiya International is collaboration between seven of the most prominent cultural institutions in Palestine focusing on Contemporary Art. This unique art coalition is an attempt to pool resources and work collectively towards showcasing and promoting contemporary culture in Palestine both locally and internationally. This is Palestine’s most daring and most promising cultural statement on the global stage.
Organizers:
Riwaq, Al Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art, the A. M. Qattan Foundation, Palestinian Art Court - Al Hoash, the International Art Academy - Palestine, Sakakini Cultural Center,and The House of Culture and Arts - Nazareth.
Why Qalandiya?
For the past decade, “Qalandiya” has been associated with the infamous Israeli checkpoint that continues to suffocate the West Bank disconnecting it from Jerusalem and the rest of the world. This checkpoint has been highly pervasive in the media and in the visual and literary works produced in and about Palestine. Countless stories about Palestinians’ daily suffering and subjugation take place there, offering sad but true glimpses of the oppressive regime of the occupation. However, “Qalandiya” suggests other connotations that have been deliberately smeared or totally erased over the years, but which, with a more intimate look, could be uncovered: the Qalandiya Airport, for example (or the Jerusalem International Airport as it was initially called), the Qalandiya refugee camp, and Qalandiya village (which the Wall has divided into two separate parts). Qalandiya is where many paradoxes meet. It was the point of connection with the rest of the world until 1967 and became the symbol of disconnection, isolation, segregation and fragmentation in 2000. Qalandiya International is an attempt to utilise the name and its multilayered and contradictory meanings in an event that seeks to perpetuate the true Palestine in the international cultural scene, while allowing a taste of the experience embedded in the symbolic paradox of Qalandiya. It is a creative step towards restoring Palestine’s cultural and humanistic status in the life and memory of the world.
Structure
Qi is steered by a curatorial committee that convenes monthly, one person assigned from each cultural institution and organisation partnering in the event. S/he contributes to forming the conceptual framework for the event and the creation of the encompassing programme, maintaining a thread that ties all the activities and events together. A programme coordinator for Qi is working with all the institutions on forming the programme, informing all parties and facilitating the decision making process. An open call has been announced for the participation of smaller organisations - such as artist-led galleries, smaller initiatives and local artist collectives – and they are sending in proposals for the activities they plan for November to be included in the Qi programme.
Promotion of Palestinian Art
Qalandiya International aims to promote Palestinian contemporary culture by raising awareness both locally and internationally. It plans to do so through the realisation of art projects and cultural activities in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Gaza and Nazareth, as well as in several towns and villages in the West Bank, engaging the local public and presenting artwork and performances by both Palestinian and visiting artists and performers. Established and emerging artists are invited to produce new works and organise workshops, to present their work to a new public and engage in talks, encounters and guided tours.
Around fifty artists are invited to present their work, encompassing performance, installation, intervention and film. The works are to be presented throughout the sites in both indoor and outdoor venues. Several workshops are organised with partners that involve students and teenagers.
Encounters and colloquia on relevant topics to the current situation, with local and visiting speakers, are also organised.
Relevance
Qalandiya International provides Palestinian artists with an international platform and exposure to visiting international art institutions and museums who come to Palestine to discover new talent. It also gives exposure to contemporary Palestinian culture and life, and creates the opportunity to develop projects in various locations in the country. We believe that the event has a positive impact on Palestinian youth as it brings art and art practitioners closer to them by organising encounters and workshops with community centres, clubs and youth organisations. Additionally, it has a positive impact on the Palestinian art scene through the introduction of contemporary art, exchange of experiences with visiting artists, and exposure to art practices from other cultures.
Profile of Qi Leading Institutions:
1-Al-Ma’mal Foundation
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem is a non-profit organisation that aims to promote, instigate, disseminate and facilitate the making of art. Founded in 1998, Al-Ma’mal serves as an advocate for contemporary art and a catalyst for the realisation of art projects by inviting artists to Jerusalem to develop, produce and present their work, and by organising art workshops for young people. Al-Ma’mal Foundation is determined to make Jerusalem a centre for contemporary art, while considering the situation on the ground and the enduring qualities of Jerusalem.
2-Riwaq
Riwaq is a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that aims at the documentation, rehabilitation and development of the architectural and cultural heritage in Palestine through conservation, planning and other diverse programmes. Established in Ramallah in 1991, Riwaq’s approach advocates the protection of all layers, styles and remains of the different periods and civilisations that existed in Palestine, highlighting the various strata and telling a story of the rich, varied and complex identities and histories. Since 2000, Riwaq has rehabilitated more than 80 historic buildings and public spaces for the benefit and enjoyment of local communities, and is working towards the rehabilitation of 15 other buildings and public spaces in the coming three years. Riwaq is also engaged in the rehabilitation of historic centres through myriad programmes that have the goal of breathing life back into abandoned historic centres. Such spaces have proved to be vital for social and cultural interaction as well as sources of economic benefits for local communities, and act as networking hubs for communities and organisations that are far from major cities and urban centres.
3- A.M. Qattan Foundation
The A.M. Qattan Foundation is an independent, not-for-profit operational organisation founded in 1993 and registered as a charity in the UK, with a branch of the Foundation registered in Palestine in 1998 as a non-profit organisation. Since its establishment, the Foundation has worked towards the development of culture and education in Palestine and the Arab World. With a particular focus on children, teachers and young artists, the Foundation works through three main programmes: the Qattan Centre for Educational Research and Development, the Culture and Arts Programme, and the Qattan Centre for the Child. As an independent, not-for-profit developmental institution working in the culture and education sectors, the A.M. Qattan Foundation targets a variety of social groups, particularly children, teachers and young artists. It aims to empower free-thinking, enlightened individuals to overcome the challenges of war and injustice and to create a flourishing and dynamic society in Palestine and the Arab World. The Foundation adopts a long-term, participatory developmental ethos through programmes that foster critical thinking, research, creativity and the production of knowledge, while also providing an inspiring model of transparency and excellence, in addition to advocating cultural and educational development as an essential tool of resistance for a society faced by conditions of acute political instability and humanitarian catastrophe.
4- The Palestinian Art Court – Al Hoash
Al Hoash is a non-profit Palestinian cultural organisation established in 2004 and located on the first floor of an old 1930s traditional Arab house on Zahra Street, a busy road in the heart of the commercial centre of Jerusalem, whose mission is to integrate visual arts and culture in the lives of the Palestinian people such that it becomes a substantial and critical tool for communication, innovation, pleasure, free expression and national pride. We seek the development and elevation of the status of the visual arts as we recognise its role in the welfare, development, free will and expression of the people. Through arts and culture we can analyse and understand our history and maintain the existence and pride of our people. Al Hoash seeks to establish a Palestinian art museum in Jerusalem which will be an institution for the public wherein visual culture and knowledge can be produced, acquired, researched, conserved, interpreted, communicated and exhibited. It looks to maintain local roots while seeking global reach, and identifies itself as a knowledge-based institute that contributes to knowledge production and dissemination through developing programmes that are research based and community linked, providing platforms for education, discourse and critique. The main objectives of Al Hoash are fostering research and providing a platform for education and critical discourse; establishing strong links, engaging and actively interacting with our community; and building bridges of cross-cultural exchange across the globe.
5- The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre
The Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre Foundation is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in Palestine. The Centre was founded in 1996, and is located in Ramallah in a restored traditional house. KSCC strives to promote art and culture in the Palestinian society, through programs committed to the encouragement of creativity and the enhancement of artistic practices in everyday life. In addition to exhibitions and lectures the centre currently works on several programs; the Open Studio which is an annual workshop and exhibition program for young artists based on peer learning and collaboration; School as a Cultural space, an inclusive art education program in collaboration with public schools in West Bank villages and towns that attempts to integrate arts education with pedagogy; ‘Lawz Akhdar’, a program dedicated for young Palestinian writers in collaboration with ‘Filistin Ashabab’; and Music in the Garden which is a weekly concert program that features young Palestinian musicians.
6- The International Academy of Art ¬ Palestine
The International Academy of Art – Palestine (The Academy) began as an institution-building project which aimed to develop a higher education facility specialised in the arts. It is an autonomous, distinctive and professional institution, granting Bachelor of Arts degrees in Contemporary Visual Arts and, eventually, Master’s level degrees for future artists. The basic mission in establishing an academy of art is to tap into the creative side of the mind and foster creativity, originality, alternative thinking and productivity while creating a space for freedom of expression. The Academy is essentially a Palestinian venture that is anchored in its own culture to maintain the collective Palestinian memory, history and cultural identity. The Academy offers the local population and the international community new images of Palestine and Palestinians that situate Palestinian art within the international art community. The project to establish the International Academy of Art Palestine is currently funded by the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway.
7- The House of Culture and Art- Nazereth
The House of Culture and Art is located in Al-Mutran Square, at the entrance to the old market of Nazareth. The House of Culture and Art is housed in a historical nineteenth century building owned by the late attorney Tawfiq Muammar, who granted the building to the Orthodox Community Council in Nazareth in order to serve the people of the city as a cultural institution. In the beginning, the center operated under the name “The High Institute of Art and the House of the Writer”, and served, between the years 1994-2007, as a college for teaching visual arts and music, as well as contributing to the publication of local writers. In 2007, the place was shut down for renovations of the entire structure until it was finally reopened on September 5, 2009 as a gallery for the visual arts, periodically curating and hosting exhibitions and art workshops for the cultural and educational institutions in Nazareth and its surroundings. The House of Oud is a musical center belonging to the House of Culture and Art, where private lessons are offered for students playing different musical instruments. The students also receive the necessary theoretical and background relating to their instrument and musical instruments in general. Also, the House of Oud Orchestra includes a group of young musicians in their high-school years, who often perform together for the general public on different occasions. The House of Culture and Art also hosts a monthly literary salon which combines literary lectures as well as encounters with local creative minds in the cultural, literary, artistic and social sphere, the purpose of these counters being to reinforce the collective memory and to document literary and cultural activism in our society.