Points of Departure
26 June–21 July 2013
Institute of Contemporary Arts
Theatre
The Mall
London SW1Y 5AH
T +44 20 7930 3647
Delfina Foundation is delighted to announce Points of Departure, the culmination of a year-long collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), ArtSchool Palestine and the British Council. Presented at the ICA, the exhibition draws together work by British and Palestinian artists who undertook residencies in London at Delfina Foundation and in Ramallah with ArtSchool Palestine. Points of Departure will be among the highlights of the 2013 Shubbak Festival in London (22 June–6 July).
Points of Departure begins as a set of thoughtful explorations into the phenomena of liminality. A condition in which one’s sense of identity is diffused, liminality leads not only to states of dislocation and disorientation but also to new perspectives. From this starting point, all exhibiting artists undertook research-orientated projects in the UK and Palestine, seeking to make meaning, and create new narratives in response to urgent contemporary questions around nationalism and identity, history and place.
Points of Departure presents new commissions by Palestinian artists Jumana Emil Abboud, Bashar Alhroub, Bisan Abu Eiseh, and UK artists Jeremy Hutchison and Olivia Plender. In relation to themes raised by the project and the works produced, the exhibition also features a seminal work by Ramallah-based artists Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme.
The exhibition is curated by Rebecca Heald, with the support of Mirna Bamieh, and designed by Jan Pfeiffer with funding from the Czech Centre. In addition to the main partners, the exhibition is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and through the generous support of Rana Sadik & Samer Younis.
Media sponsor: Harper’s Bazaar Art Arabia.
Points of Departure will include an extensive public programme of talks and events supported by Caspian Arts Foundation.
Exhibition Tours
Mirna Bamieh (in Arabic) – Thursday 27 June, 6:30pm
Rebecca Heald (in English) – Thursday 11 July, 6:30pm
Friday Salon: Residencies as Liminal Space
Friday 28 June, 3pm
Residencies can be understood as a ‘liminal’ state between time and place. But what happens when the liminality of the residency is entwined with a place like Palestine? Join exhibiting artists to discuss their experiences as residents in London and Ramallah.
Film Screenings: Shifting Landscapes
Saturday 29 June, 5pm
This group screening explores sociality and nationality in the Middle East, exploring a variety of perspectives on territory, landscape and national borders.
Panel Discussion on Cultural Exchange: More Harm Than Good?
Wednesday 10 July, 6:30pm
Cultural exchange is a much touted yet often rarely examined concept. This panel discussion will explore its complex implications, and will centre on the key question: how do artists work within culturally different and predetermined contexts? Speakers will include, among others, Mark Rappolt, writer and editor of Art Review, Andrea Rose, Director of Visual Arts, British Council and artist Rosalind Nashashibi.
Culture Now: Jacqueline Rose with Mignon Nixon
Friday 12 July, 1pm
Jacqueline Rose and Mignon Nixon discuss how literature and culture can act as a unique resource for understanding political struggle and give us new ways to think creatively about the seemingly intractable conflict in the Middle East.
For full details please visit www.ica.org.uk.
