Art and activism have been at the core of the lives of a large number of Syrians over the past ten years, serving as fundamental forms of expression for voicing the demand for dignity and self-determination. In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the Syrian revolution, this series of events explores how the revolution and the arts have been influencing and nurturing each other since 2011 until today.

The Syrian revolution has drastically altered all aspects of Syrian life, cultural production being no exception. Since 2011, many new cultural actors and initiatives have emerged, creating profound changes in repertoire, content, and style, thereby challenging existing cultural canons and opening up new ways of expression. Following the exodus from Syria, cultural producers have been facing new realities in diaspora along with questions regarding positionality and identity. These will be some of the issues addressed in this series of events, alongside questions regarding the representation of the Syrian cause, the politics of building narratives, and the constraints and possibilities of making an actual impact through art and activism today.

The event series presents a wide range of recent cultural initiatives and artistic works that highlight the intersectionality between art and activism, focusing on recent approaches and modes of expression that were mainly developed in diaspora. By bringing together Syrian cultural producers, activists, and researchers from different cultural backgrounds, the series aims to offer a platform to reflect on, assess, and discuss the last ten years of Syrian activist cultural expression, while providing a space to think about how to shape the future through activist and creative means.

Each of the seven daily events starts by presenting an artistic or cultural project, followed by a panel talk with Syrian cultural producers, activists, and researchers. Additionally, on each day, a Syrian visual artist will present an artwork in a pop-up exhibition during the panel talk in the coculture space. Participating artists are Mouneer Alshaarani, Tammam Azzam,  Ali Kaaf, Ahmad Ramadan, Hiba Al Ansari, Abdul Karim Majdal Al-Beik, and Yaser Safi.

All panel talks will be held in Arabic with simultaneous translation into English.

Dedicated to Dr. Hassan Abbas (1955-2021).

Supported by Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung.