Carolyn Classen

Opening reception for this unique  art show is on  Saturday Feb. 4, from 6 to 9 pm. at Steinfeld Warehouse, 101 W. 6th St.  More than 25 artists are participating.

Artist’s statement: “What is XENOPHOBIA? It is defined as an irrational fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange or foreign. The rise of populism is accompanied by, and often explicitly espouses, xenophobia and racism. At the same time, there are signs that wide and heterogeneous alliances are being formed against these trends, both within traditional politics and out in the world, in communities.” (statement continued below)

Mediterannean music will be performed by Kyklo (Paul Amiel, Anton Shekerjiev, Kelsey Shea).  They describe their music as: “music of the mountain villages, ancient islands, hashish dens, cafés, harems, pubs, dance halls, cloisters, and prisons of the old world, on traditional acoustic instruments.”

Artist’s statement continued:

“The destruction caused by wars without end, driven by forces and actors far from the battlefields, has created not only the desperate flight of refugees but also decimated economies and destroyed countries to the extent that rebuilding does not even seem to be on the agenda. There are frequent deadly attacks on refugee shelters in Germany; the extreme Right is growing across Europe. In the US and elsewhere, populists are on the rise scapegoating the most vulnerable for socities’ problems.

What can the role of art be in this world we live in right now? We created an exhibition with a group of artists who use their aesthetic knowledge and craft skills to interrogate Xenophobia. These artists are interested in creating political art, activist art, interventionist art, socially engaged art, and/or social practice art addressing Xenophobia.

The xenophobic and racist propaganda is deeply rooted in the political landscape of today and it is coming both from “above” (powerful elites) and “below” (working-classes). How can we (as artists) contribute resources to combat it? We need to know the terrain to fight back and use the their tools and rules to our advantage. The tools of the game are signs, symbols, story and spectacle. We are artists. We have used these tools for years. We are well equipped but I believe we need to collaborate and create big, ground breaking exhibitions and use our networks in this struggle. If we, like minded artists, do not do it, who else will?

The aim of this exhibition is to CHANGE the way a society with growing xenophobic and racist tendencies perceive the world and act in this world, with the hope to furnish resources for those groups, alliances, networks and communities struggling to build a more just, equitable and inclusive future.

If this resonates with you, please come and join us for the opening reception. February 4th, 2017 at 6pm.

The exhibition will be up until March 30, 2017. The hope is to make it a traveling exhibition in the US and abroad. We need your support to make it a reality.
If you have any questions&concerns you can contact Ozlem at ozlemayseozgur@gmail.com”

RSVP via FB: https://www.facebook.com/events/255614104872267/