Exhibition opening 5th February 2012, 6 p.m.

For the SurVivArt project the Heinrich Böll Foundation has invited artists from around the world to reflect by means of works of art and related communications on what the “good life“ means to them and those around them. In February 2012, the works will be presented at an exhibition in Berlin.

SurVivArt was  developed by the Heinrich Böll Foundation with support from its offices around the world. On an international scale, the project aims to bridge the gap between sustainability, gender equity, and the arts and culture. Via the website www.survivart.org the artists involved – they are from Ethiopia, Cambodia, Burma/Myanmar, Nigeria and Thailand – are able to document the stages of their work and communicate with one another. Wherever non-existent, debates concerning climate change, sustainability, or gender roles were prompted by SurVivArt projects. In many locations, the project brought together for the first time artists and local communities to talk about sustainable practices within the framework of their everyday lives.

From the 7th until the 24th of February 2012 works created as part of the project by artists Kebreab Demeke, Robel Temesgen, Alafuro Sikoki, Segun Adefila, Adebimpe Adebambo, Oeur Sokuntevy, Neak Sophal, Tith Kanitha, Nino Sarabutra, and Phyoe Kyi will be on display at the galleries Mikael Andersen and Meinblau in Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg district.

The project has resulted in a mosaic of diverse perspectives. The art works narrate widely differing stories – about the quest for a “good life”; the quest for balance, happiness, and contentment; about the responsible as well as creative and playful handling of resources and new modes of consumption. They also tell us about the power of communities, their potential to survive, and their strength that inspires artists to contribute to a good life through their art.

A project from Thailand, for example, focuses on our patterns of consumption; in Ethiopia villagers turned omnipresent jerry cans into living art and children engaged with their visions for the future; in Cambodia the artists were inspired by rice pots and set up a flea market of memories.

Parallel to the SurVivArt presentation the conference Radius of Art will promote a never before seen international dialogue and exchange of ideas between culture, science, and politics.

SurVivArt Overview

title: SurVivArt venues: galleries Mikael Andersen and Meinblau, Pfefferberg, Christinenstraße 18/19, 10119 Berlin duration: 7th – 24th February, 2012 opening: 5th February 2012, 6 p.m. artists: Kebreab Demeke, Robel Temesgen, Alafuro Sikoki, Segun Adefila, Adebimpe Adebambo, Oeur Sokuntevy, Neak Sophal, Tith Kanitha, Nino Sarabutra, Phyoe Kyi curator: Valia Carvalho

A catalogue will be forthcoming.

For further information: www.survivart.org and www.radius-of-art.de/conferenc...

press contact Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Karoline Hutter, e-mail: hutter@boell.de, phone: +30 – 285 34-202

press contact for project: Achim Klapp, e-mail: ak@achimklapp.de, klapp@boell.de,  phone: +30 – 257 97 016