Between Here & Somewhere Else
A series of exhibitions of new work and events by Helen de Main and Maj Hasager
Overgaden Institute for Contemporary Art, Copenhagen, 12 November 2010 - 16 Januaray 2011
Palestinian Art Court - al Hoash, Jerusalem: 22 April - 13 May 2010
al Kahf Gallery, Bethlehem: 21 May - 16 June 2010
Khalil Sakakini Cultural Centre, Ramallah: 10 - 24 June 2010
Photo: Anders Sune Berg
The exhibition Between Here and Somewhere Else came out of a number of periods spent by Danish artist Maj Hasager and British artist Helen de Main in Palestine and Israel over the past three years. During their joint travels they developed an ongoing relationship with the area, and are attempting through this exhibition to illustrate the current situation in the occupied territories, as seen from the perspective of an outsider.
Recognising the importance of oral, written and visual narrative traditions in the construction of a shared history, Hasager and de Main portray alternative interpretations of a place which, despite its geographical distance, seems familiar to us, as a result of its permanent presence in the media.
At Overgaden the exhibition was accompanied by an archive, a contextualised programme and the intercultural seminar Invitation to the Possible.For the archive, British artist James McLardy has created a new sculptural artwork that uses a playful interrogation of form, function and public space to make available a collection of archival material in the gallery that consists of books and journals relating to Palestinian culture, history and the political situation.
Silwan Hoard – Abasi Family
Bronze, MDF, paint, dimensions variable
One Month in Ramallah
Photo polymer etching on paper, 155 x 100cm
These prints are made up of images from two daily newspapers, Al Quds and the Guardian, from March 2009. While on a residency in Ramallah, I collected copies of Al Quds for each day of the month, and back in the UK, someone collected a copy of the Guardian for me. The prints depict an image drawn from each newspaper for each day of the month collaged together.
South to North, West from East and What Lies Between
South to North, West from East
Stainless steel, pencil and concrete, dimensions varialbe
What Lies Between
Stone, plastic and concrete, 50 x 50 x 120cm
Push Me, Pull Me
Aluminum and fabric, dimensions variable