16 January 2020
Art Exhibition “The Place I call Home” & Four Accompanying Activities, In cooperation with the British Council and “ Photo Gallery”
An exhibition titled, “ The Place I Call Home” and four accompanying activities, commissioned by the British Council and curated by David Drake, Director of Ffotogallery, the national photography agency for Wales, in cooperation with Bahrain Authority for Culture & Antiquities, will kick off, on 15 January 2020 at 7:00 pm at the Art Center.
The Place I Call Home is a project that uses contemporary photography to explore the idea of home related to the experiences of young people living in the Gulf and the UK at a time of rapid change and social mobility. The project comprises a photography exhibition and public outreach programme that will travel to venues in six Gulf states and the UK in Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020. After scoping visits to all six GCC countries, the curator determined the vision and approach for the exhibition and commissioned several UK and Middle East-based artists to produce work responding to its themes.
The aim of the exhibition and supporting workshops is to encourage dialogues about: Place-Making: how planning, design, culture, environmental and technological considerations create a better city or neighborhood, Interculturalism: promoting dialogue and interaction between cultures to challenge isolation and self-segregation within cultures, Citizenship: social responsibility, leadership, hospitality, inclusion, respect and tolerance.
Participants at this exhibition are : Hussain Almosawi , Mariam Alarab, Ammar Al Attar, Ben Soedira, Eman Ali, Gillian Robertson, Hassan al Meer, Abi Green, Sebastian Betancur-Montoya, Josh Adam Jones, Moath Alofi, Mohammed Al-Kouh, Richard Allenby-Pratt and Zahed Sultan.
Accompanying the exhibition will be a range of four public events, workshops and opportunities for students as well. On 16 January 2020 at the Art Center, there will be a public talk about the project and the exhibition, and panel discussion led by curator, David Drake and participating artists from the Gulf, Eman Ali, Hassan Meer, Mariam Alarab and Hussain Almosawi. It is open for all artists, photographers and enthusiasts.
In addition, an opportunity for school children to participate in a fun and interactive photography workshop. Therefore, a Photo Walk for School Children (Ages 10-12) at 9:00 am will be organized, while another Photo Walk for School Children (Ages 15-16) is scheduled on 19 January. Interested school groups can register through contacting the British Council team: maryam.abudeeb@britishcouncil.org.bh, CC: kawthar.alarab@britishcouncil.org.bh Spaces are limited. Please contact the team to reserve seats for your students.
On 20 January 2020, there will be Portfolio Review and Career Progression Talk, an opportunity for aspiring and mid-career artists and photographers to attend this career progression talk with David Drake, Curator, The Place I Call Home, and bring along their portfolios for a one-on-one review and discussion.
