Qualandiya International
Oct. 22 – Nov. 15, 2014
Jerusalem Show VII
Oct. 24 – Nov. 7, 2014
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art
Curator: Basak Senova
The Jerusalem Show (‘Ala Abwab Al Janna) encompasses exhibitions, film screenings, performances, talks, walks and workshops showcasing works of Palestinian and international artists, presented in the Old City of Jerusalem in various indoor and outdoor venues.
The Jerusalem Show is neither a biennial nor a one-time event. It is neither a large-scale show nor an international grand exhibition. The organizers like to see it as an attempt to intercede between the apocalyptic decadal tides of upheaval under which the city kneels, stealing time during the ebb of violence (yet sunk neck-high in hatred and discrimination) to wage an action of covert resistance to the forced hegemony of one creed and one people on the city. In a way it can be perceived as a political action, and so they tried to garner as much support as possible from institutions, organizations, youth centres, clubs, etc., which operate in the city. The first Jerusalem Show took place in 2007.
Basak Senova is a curator and designer. She studied Literature and Graphic Design (MFA in Graphic Design and Ph.D. in Art, Design and Architecture at Bilkent University) and attended the 7th Curatorial Training Programme of Stichting de Appel, Amsterdam. She has been writing on art, technology and media, initiating and developing projects and curating exhibitions since 1995. Senova is the editor of art-ist 6, Kontrol Online Magazine, Lapses book series, UNCOVERED and Aftermath among other publications. She is an editorial correspondent for ibraaz.org and one of the founding members of NOMAD, as well as the organizer of “ctrl_alt_del” and “Upgrade!Istanbul.” Senova was the curator of the Pavilion of Turkey at the 53rd Venice Biennale. As an assistant professor, she lectured at the Faculty of Communication, Kadir Has University, Istanbul (2006–2010) and is currently teaching at the Department of Media and Visual Arts, Koç University. She co-curated the UNCOVERED (Cyprus) and the 2nd Biennial of Contemporary Art, D-0 ARK Underground (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Recently, she acts as the Art Gallery Chair of (ACM) SIGGRAPH 2014 (Vancouver) and the curator of the Helsinki Photography Biennial 2014.
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art
Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art in Jerusalem is a non-profit organization that aims to promote, instigate, disseminate and facilitate the making of art. Founded in 1998, Al-Ma’mal serves as an advocate for contemporary art and a catalyst for the realization of art projects by inviting artists to develop, produce, and present their work in Jerusalem, encouraging community-based and socially engaging initiatives. Al-Ma’mal Foundation is determined to make Jerusalem a center for contemporary art, while considering the situation on the ground and the enduring qualities of Jerusalem.
Issa Freij, “Graduation,” 2011. Digital print, Jerusalem 2011. Photo by Issa Freij. Courtesy of the artist / Al-Ma’mal Foundation for Contemporary Art