Today, many Syrian artists and musicians find themselves in Beirut, Berlin, Oslo and beyond. Like others in their host countries, they watch the incessant media deluge of images projecting violence and forced displacement in a constant stream. These, and what has essentially become “the Syrian refugee industry”, mediate perceptions, limit the narrative and dehumanise a whole people. The artistic output of the Syrian creative community is today overshadowed by this context, their geographic dispersion and their fragile economic and psychosocial circumstances. Despite these conditions, from underground havens in Syria to exiled artist residencies elsewhere in the world, using a range of media and strategies, they continue to resist and represent, pushing boundaries with new vocabularies, exploring revolutionary symbolism, seeking to preserve their cultural heritage while creating work that expresses their contemporary reality.

Some are already engaged with the critical narratives of the future, creating new platforms to enable research, collaboration and exposure to the breadth of talent from Syria. STATION presents NextStopDamascus with a selection of artists and experiences that engage with urgent issues such as creativity under oppression, artist mobility and the role of music and the arts in healing a nation and its people.

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Featuring:

Khalil Younes, Dino Ahmad Ali, Fadi Al Hamwi, Abdalla Al Omari, Anna Banout, Tammam Azzam, Diala Brisly, Fares Cachoux, Rawan Hasan, Sulafa Hijazi, Mohamad Khayata, Aliaa Abou Khaddour Orwa Mokdad, Yasser Safi, Shkoon, Dansekollektivet

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Co-curated by Nabil Canaan (STATION Beirut) and in cooperation with coculture.

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