Where Do I Exist – A Lecture & Performance
Dit artikel is alleen beschikbaar in het Engels
"I see myself from the already existing narrations of the world. My maleness narrated by the patriarchy, my Arabness narrated by 9/11, my gender nonconformity narrated by the binary signs in public restrooms, my femininity narrated by a camp drag queen with a moustache I call daddy, and my immigration journey by a powerful dictator.”
— Sarjon Azouz
Where Do I Exist - Is This Question Political or Existential? A lecture & Performance
As part of the current exhibition Threads of Loss, Patterns of Return program maker Arsalan Ishaqzai (part of MaMA’s program makers of 2025) and MaMA organize Where Do I Exist – And Is This Question Political or Existential? on Thursday July 17th. This two-part event consists of a lecture and is followed by a performance. During the lecture Sarjon Azouz – whose work is featured in Threads of Loss, Patterns of Return – digs through layers in their practice that seeks vanity as a space of research in identity politics. How does the question of “where do I exist?” drive exiled identities as they navigate diaspora worlds and ultimately shape their own political fabric? Following the lecture, there will be a special appearance by Al-Shaheen Falcon, an immigrant bird from Syria, performing a multilingual live broadcast addressed to Dutch youth. The broadcast will focus on military conscription and the realities of war-driven migration in cases of refusal.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Programma
- 19.00 – 19.30 walk-in
- 19.30 – 20.30 lecture + performance
- 20.30 – 21.30 time for food and socializing
Sarjon (He/Him/She/Her/They/Them) is a showgirl, curator, online troll and audiovisual artist hailing from Aleppo, Syria and based in Arnhem, who works with vanity as a research space in identity politics. A novelist without novels, they create and perform an excessive amount of alter egos and characters with many different story arcs and urgencies, writing their own narratives to reflect different political realities. In various contexts of nightlife, online platforms, museums, and contemporary art spaces Sarjon uses their surroundings as a host to nurse and develop these characters.
Arsalan Ishaqzai (He/Him) is a curator, producer and program maker based in Rotterdam. He moves between contexts of exhibitions and club nights, with a focus on themes of diaspora and the creation of counter narratives. His work speaks to diasporic communities that formulate alternatives for dominant perspectives with courage and imagination. Arsalan believes in the power of collectives that question systems and make space for new stories. He aims to nurture budding ideas, and to contribute to a movement that challenges and transforms the status quo.
Over IRL
Ons leven wordt gedomineerd door de zelfgeproduceerde werkelijkheden die we tegenkomen op het internet en social media. Deze spanning tussen feit en fictie raakt de kern van het leidmotief IN REAL LIFE. De enige manier om aan de post-truth te ontsnappen is elkaar in het echt (IN REAL LIFE) te ontmoeten. Dat doen we onder meer in de vorm van lezingen, masterclasses, workshops, excursies en feesten die uiting geven aan de ideeën achter HOME | IN REAL LIFE | NETWORKS.
