New series: Artists in Conversation

Artists in Conversation is a new series of broadcasts by DutchCulture in which we learn about the cultural climate in Egypt, Australia, and Hungary. By offering artists the opportunity to engage in conversation with each other, we don't only get to know the artists and their practices, but also the cultural sector of the environment they work in. Every edition of the series consists of two dialogues between an artist from the Netherlands and an artist from another country. Moreover, upcoming talents will be given the opportunity to present their work during the programme.

In the first edition of Artists in Conversation we dive deeper into the artistic dialogue between the Netherlands and Egypt. Participating Artists Omar Nagati (Caïro, Egypt), Michelle Provoost (Rotterdam, the Netherlands), Mahmoud Khaled (Alexandria, Egypt), and Nat Muller (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) go into conversation with one another discussing the theme of urbanism and public spaces. Dalia Dawoud, representative of the Dutch embassy in Egypt, will kick off the session with her perspective on the current cultural climate in Caïro.

Within the last couple of years, there has been an increasing interest and mutual exchange between artists from the Netherlands and Egypt. The residency programme B’sarya in Alexandria, in which several Dutch artists have (digitally) participated, is just one of the manifold beautiful examples of cultural cooperation between the two countries.

In the second edition of Artists in Conversation, DutchCulture explores the current cultural and artistic climate in Australia and the Netherlands through conversations between artists from both countries. We have invited artists Maria Verstappen (NL), Janet Laurence (AUS), Brian Elstak (NL), Richard Bell (AUS), and Emma Fielden (AUS) for one on one conversations. The event will be introduced by writer Nardi Simpson (AUS) who will recite a short piece that she has written especially for the event. Artists is Conversation – Australia evolves around issues such as sustainability, environment, heritage and fair practice.

Australia’s history is complex and can be told from many different perspectives. The urge to tell Australia’s history from the perspective of the first peoples of Australia is ever-growing, especially in the cultural sector. This tendency goes hand in hand with the realisation that the relationship between humans and nature needs to change. The artists we have invited work around these issues in their art and will elaborate on this in the broadcast.

In this edition of Artists in Conversation, DutchCulture explores the current cultural and artistic climate in Hungary and the Netherlands. We have invited art professionals Hajnalka Somogyi (HU), Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy (NL), András Török (HU) and Linda Malherbe (NL) for one on one conversations. Two young Hungarian artists, Dominika Trapp and Dániel Szalai will present their work and working methods. The event will be introduced by writer József Mélyi (HU) who will recite a short piece that he has written about the current sphere in Hungary especially for the event.

Artists is Conversation – Hungary evolves around issues of national symbols, the Roma community and its representation, photo archives embracing stories of everyday people, and feminist perspective in the folk culture. Furthermore, thousands of Hungarians and Europeans have demonstrated against the anti-LGBTQ+ laws recently passed by the Hungarian Parliament.

The recent history of Hungary is complex and can evoke controversy. For this event, we invited two Hungarian art professionals who represent organisations that are internationally appreciated but are reliant on the voluntary work of people who passionately believe in their mission. Hajnalka Somogyi will tell us about the OFF-Biennale through one specific project. Together with Sofía Hernández Chong Cuy they will discuss the representation of the Roma community in Hungary’s cultural sector and think together about the idea of a museum for Roma art. András Török will tell us about Fortepan, a unique online community photo archive that contains about 150.000 photos donated by private persons. Together with Linda Malherbe, director of Storyhouse Belvédère, they discuss the purpose of the photo archives and the beauty of photos of everyday people.

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