Last year the residency program, run by the international group at Konstepidemin, started the forum Crisis–Populism–Art, where local and international artists have been working together since September 2014, approaching questions about politics, responsability, language, and participation. The artists will present works from the process in the exhibition A dragon rises against the wind showing from the 9th of Mai until the 31st of Mai at Galleri Konstepidemin, curated by Anna Lamberg.

Anna Wieselgren (CAN), Ismail Hosny (EGY), Patricia Vane (NLD), Jill Lindström (SWE), Khaled Harara (GAZA), Stina Östberg (SWE), Steven Cuzner (SWE), SUMEI (CHN), Birte Niderhaus (SWE), Valentina Paraskevaidou (GRE)

The difference between the rich and the poor has never been so large as it is today. Countries and economies seem to exist for those who are already priviliged, and not for the whole of society. In Sweden the segregation increases clearly as a result of ethnical and social economic factors. Populistic political parties become more attractive to voters in Europé, and similar tendencies are taking place in other parts of the world. At the same time political protests grow stronger, as for example the ”Arabian spring” with demands for governments to abdicate, change of regimes, and democratic reforms. Even in other countries voices are raised, people organize themselves in human rights movements and demand alternatives, social reforms, and justice.

more info, Kris/Populism/Konst


Galleri Konstepidemin Program May 9th

12.00 Gallery opens

13.00 Welcome!

13.30 Frauke Teaser performance (more info at Galleri Konstepidemin startpage, see Frauke)

19.00 Opening party in House 10 and performances by Mouad “El Haqed” Belrhouate and Khaled Harara (se below for presentations)

May 10th

13.00 Artist talk moderated by Nils Ramhöj

14.00  screening of the film Good democratic failure and talk with director Birte Niederhaus.

About the film, Good democratic failure by Birte Niederhaus

In autumn 2013, the theater play EVIL , a co-production with Die Bühne New Africa Theatre in Cape Town and Folkteatern premiered. For various reasons the project failed. Director Birte Niederhaus has made a documentary about the process in which two South African actors met two Swedish actors and a Swedish director. The film problematizes concepts such as democracy and global capitalism, in a mix of interviews and clips from the wrecked theater project.

Program during the exhibition

The film ” The good democratic failure” by Birte Niderhaus will be screened on

May 10th 14:00 pm

May 13th 12:00 pm

May 19th 12:00 am

May 23d 13:00 pm

The film, which is about 40 minutes will be followed by a discussion with participating Swedish actors and director Birte Niederhaus.

Duty Free
 2015, performance by Valentina Paraskevaidou will take place on the 24^th of Mai 13.00 pm.

Mouad “El Haqed” Belrhouate

Born in 1987 in Casablanca, Mouad Berhlouate, aka L7a9d, is a young rapper who personifies Moroccan youth. A police intervention during a rap concert in 2008 made him realize the reality of censorhip in Morocco, so he created along with his friends “prisoner rap”, the only way out from this lack of freedom and dignity.

He took part in the Arab Spring in 2011, by demonstrating in the streets and participating in several concerts and artistic events. He has been sentenced three times and spent more than 20 months in prison.

Mouad Berlhouate released several albums, the last one was Walooo in 2014. He’s recognised for his work in his country but also internationally: he received the Integrity Prize from Transparency Morocco in 2012, and the Index on censorship award in London in 2015.

Khaled Harara was born 1987 in Yemen. He is a renowned Palestinian hip-hop artist who has lived as a refugee in Gaza. His texts discuss the political situation in Palestine from a humanitarian and social perspective and criticizes the lack of freedom of expression and the suffering in Palestine under the Hamas rule. 
In Gaza, Khaled Harara organised workshops for youth, focusing on writing texts and on different ways of expressing oneself. The workshops were banned, just like his group “Palestinian Unit” and the artist organisation that he was a member of. 

 
As a result of his artistic expression, and his participation as soldier of the PLO forces before Hamas took control of Gaza, Harara is considered an “enemy of the state”. More than once, he has been to prison.