Private: Europe Through the Eyes of Our Neighbours

We live in a rapidly globalising world. Art and artists continuously cross Europe’s borders. However, what happens when, as an artist from outside of Europe, you come to work in Europe? Are you then still considered Europe’s ‘neighbour’, or European? Has Europe lived up to the expectations of these artists? How does one’s art and one’s identity, change after the moment of ‘crossing over’? Today, with Europe’s population being more diverse than ever, old and new neighbours from Eastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East will discuss the ever-changing borders of European identity.

For a long time, Europe functioned as a general framework for its neighbours: as a cultural model, a democratic ideal, an economic force, or perhaps as an example of all that can go wrong. However, Europe’s magnetism is in continuous fluctuation, and the continent’s hegemony seems to be on the decline. It is high time to take a closer look at Europe and those whose work and lives involve crossing and testing the borders of Europe. How do they see today’s Europe? And what does the European culture and identity mean to them?

This search will take place in the Rijksakademie van beeldende kunsten, an important meeting spot that has, for years, brought together artists from across the globe.

Bahram Sadeghi will moderate this programme.

This programme will be in English.

When buying a ticket at the door, only cash payment is possible.

Photo: Adrian Paci