Collectivity and social practice lay at the heart of this exhibition series. How can publishing be used to bring people together to agenda political issues and perhaps even initiate change?

Mounira al Solh on her work:

“Inspired by the ancient history of the Mediterranean, especially from the perspective of the Lebanese coasts, I drew and printed patterns on green textiles, arranged in large triangles, where we can see ancient goddesses, foresters, Phoenician boats, animals and forests. They revive ancient history between the Bronze and Iron Ages in Lebanon and the region. A time just before the Romans took control of the region. Among the green textiles, which act as curtains in this exhibition, we find printed and hand-drawn works of small size. Their starting point are the inevitable wars for power dating back to those ancient times. Strangely, these representations are reminiscent of today, as we face wars such as those in Gaza and in the region. These “illustrations” are also inspired by a series of works by Lebanese artist Are el Rayyess about the civil war in Lebanon, which were banned at the time. They do not follow Western rules of perspective, but juxtapose elements and fill each drawing, in the same way Eastern miniatures are usually drawn. I worked with women in Lebanon to fill and embroider the textiles, after the patterns were drawn and printed at Place Making. The drawings are based on watercolours and incorporate different printing techniques as well as written notes, typical of my work on paper, in which text and incorporate various printing techniques as well as written notes, typical of my work on paper, in which text and image are both important elements.”

The Half Rhyme series consists of four periods of work and exhibitions with a focus on the commons. Commons, or commons, are shared natural resources such as water, air and land, as well as information resources such as texts, images and programming language. They are accessible to all members of a society. Above all, commons can be seen as a social practice where a resource is not managed by a state or a market, but by a community of users or in this case: artists.

Artists and writers work for three months in Plaatsmaken's graphic studios. As they create editions, there is the possibility of sharing the prints in a collective archive. This is how new commons are created. During their residency at Plaatsmaken, participating artists can use the editions from the archive as starting points for new work. Continuing where another has ended. Work by all participants will be shown in a concluding group exhibition and a publication.

Curator: Es Venema.

Under the Green was on sight till August 16, 2024

With thanks to Gemeente Arnhem, the Mondriaan Funds and Lira Fonds