Contested Territory
11- 28 August 2011
Curated by Luisa Velasco
At the Vanishing Point gallery,
565 King Street, Newtown, Sydney
www.atthevanishingpoint.com.au
Contested Territory explores ― through contemporary art ― narratives highlighting areas of dispute, particularly issues of land and human rights of the Israeli and Palestinian peoples in the Middle East.
At the same time, Contested Territory delves into the phenomenon of Islamophobia and our own historical and contemporary cultural disposition toward the fear of otherness.
The exhibition seeks to explore the reference points between the dispossession of land and the deprivation of the basic human rights of Indigenous Australians and Palestinians, and the associated effects, given that both have been subjected to processes of colonisation and occupation.
Contested Territory investigates artistic interpretations on such themes, encouraging artists to express their personal views on issues that are often taboo, ignored or stymied by mainstream media and political dialogue.
Above all, Contested Territory looks at the historic and contemporary predicament of Palestine and Israel.
It attempts to create a meeting place for dialogue and discussion of the current political situation and, how to progress towards possible solutions (from the local to the global) for meaningful and lasting change.
Contested Territory features: Gordon Syron, The Juice Media, Khaled Sabsabi, Jagath Dheerasekara, Cigdem Aydemir, Rima Najm, Van T. Rudd, Anthony Sawrey, Safdar Ahmed, Jason Wing, Adam Hill, Brendan Penzer, Luisa Velasco and Azlen McLennan.
For further information contact Luisa Velasco, luisa@atthevanishingpoint.com.au .]