Give us the Museum – Act for Democracy! @ Stedelijk

From the moment Europe became entangled in the migration crisis in 2015, refugees have been a central subject in the European debate. But although they are almost daily talked about – in terms of numbers, figures, quota or costs – we almost never reflect on how refugees are represented or what they themselves think about Europe, migration, borders or the refugee crisis.

During this Forum event artists and designers from Makers Unite who recently fled to Europe and writer Arnon Grunberg present the refugee crisis in a radical new light.

A group of artists and creatives who recently fled to The Netherlands takes the stage to speak about Europe. Under the moniker ‘Give us the Museum’ they took over the Stedelijk Museum for a month, joined by Arnon Grunberg, to explore what the museum means to them. They will present their final statement with a variety of performances. What do they think of European culture and identity?

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS

Betul Ellialtioglu (Turkey), Carl Asali (Syria), Christin Mussa (Syria), Hussein Fakih (Lebanon), Manar Al Sammour (Syria), Marwa Mezher (Syria), Mazen Al Ashkar (Syria), Moutaz Alhawari (Palestine – Syria), Nagham A Assaf (Syria), Nasam Abboud (Syria), Noor Issa (Syria), Oussama Diab (Syria), Raafat Ballan (Syria), Saèd Fanari (Syria), Sally Samaan (Syria), Yazan Maksoud (Syria), and Arnon Grunberg (the Netherlands)

This programme is made in cooperation with Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam & Makers Unite.

Makers Unite is a start-up that facilitates encounters between Amsterdam locals and newcomers such as refugees, migrants and asylum seekers. Together, they design and make sustainable products with a story. This co-making allows people to share their stories and engage in conversations and new contacts.