Tashattot

Context

Tashattot exhibition

Tashattot Collective is launching at KIOSK its first series of events with an opening art exhibition for Arab speaking artists residing in Europe. Based on the theme Tashattot (Arabic for dispersion), the artworks exhibited will address the themes and concepts of separation from “homeland”, distance, exile, and belonging, among others.

The curatorial choice of the subject and the selection of the works, offer to look at the ways in which, artists coming from the same geographical region, translate these notions into their disciplines; and whether (or not) similarities can be drawn from each of these individual experiences and artistic mediums. The works go beyond the mere depiction of “being away from home”, thus questioning what scattering and dispersion can mean in the modern world.

Participating artists

Asma Laajimi, Christina Atik, Clara Abi Nader, Diana Al Halabi, Firas El Hallak, Firas Shehade, Hussein Shikha, Joanna Kai, Kais Masood, Karen Keyrouz, Micheline Nahra, Mousa AlNana, Tarek Haddad / Laetitia El Hakim

About Tashattot Collective

Tashattot (Arabic for dispersion) is an art collective based in Belgium dedicated to supporting visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, and cultural practitioners at large, originally from the SWANA region and currently “dispersed” in Europe. The collective aims at creating opportunities, collaborations, commissions, and securing funding for these expatriate artists regardless of their ethnicities, gender identities, or religions.

The word tashattot and its English equivalents scattering/dispersion, define the collective in both the literal sense of the word (pertaining to the description of the individuals scattered around the world, far from their homelands), as well as its metaphorical sense which relates to the scattering and dispersion of ideas and ways of thinking, as the word in Arabic is oftentimes used to describe the wandering of the thoughts (tashattot al afkar or scattered thoughts).

Tashattot is a work in progress and a newly launched collective with a fluid and evolving set of actions. It currently is and will always remain open to new ideas and experiences; continuously building on lessons learned and with practice. The collective strongly believes in the efficiency of open discussions, as the only way to grow and better address SWANA expat artists needs and aspirations, it therefore remains open to reviews, critiques, evaluations or any opinions related to its mechanisms.

Practical information