Exhibition Out of sight / worlds on the fringe

COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global escalation of discrimination and direct human rights violations against various marginalized groups, in particular people of color and non-citizens/migrants. In the European context, the media created ethnically targeted campaigns, portraying Romani as a threat to public health. The crisis has also brought an escalation in abuse from police forces and political opportunism. It has given populist and right-wing governments, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, room to express nationalist, xenophobic and anti-migrant sentiments, and legitimisation to advance in repressive policies against the Roma.On the local level, city authorities have tried to implement selective lockdown measures for ethnic reasons, which have caused a humanitarian crisis in many areas. The danger of people being cut off from any opportunities to generate income, access healthcare, food supplies and sometimes even drinking water has been exacerbated by ultra-right wing and police violence. In many cases, Roma were forcibly evicted and forced to migrate in search of survival, often resulting in them being homeless. As historical evidence shows, this populist instrumentalization of social fears is not new. The outbreak often drew hatred towards Romani and Jews as representatives of non-European nations. Romanian fears that Roma would contaminate the "Romanian race" with typhoid led to anti-Roma measures in the 1940s. But what is alarming, and what distinguishes anti-gipsysm from other forms of racism in contemporary Europe, is the involvement of the state in the production of these discriminatory standards, knowledge and policies. The exhibition (Out of sight) aims to thematise these cataclysmic consequences for the Roma population around the world and reveal the fragility and uncertainty of life on the margins of society.

Sead Kazanxhiu (born 1987 in Fier, has lived in Tirana since 2012) is a visual artist from southwestern Albania. He studied painting (2006-2010) at the Tirana College of Arts.

Kazanxhiu comments on the position of Roma in relation to unfair treatment. It stands in opposition to racially biased dynamics that unfortunately continue to shape contemporary European world views on the daily basis, inside and outside the official political arenas. His artwork seeks to restore dignity to a community that has been pushed hard and unfairly to the margins of European democracy.

Kazanxhiu is one of the most involved younger protagonists on the current Albanian cultural scene. His exhibitions were held in Tirana, Budapest, Brussels, Prague, Brno, Gotenburg, Berlin, Dresden, Krakow, Bucharest and New Orleans..

https://seadkazanxhiu.wixsite.com/visualart

Natálie Kubíková is a curator, independent visual artist and co-curator of the “KUKU collective” platform. Its main practice is linked to support for emerging local LGBTQ+ artists, feminism and post-colonialism policies in the former Czechoslovakia and its historic surrounding areas. She works with contemporary social outreach, the LGBTQ+ community, writes and participates in community organization.

https://novamedia2.space/?p=63

Selma Selman (born in 1991) is a Romani artist from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2014, she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in the Department of Painting at Banja Luka University. She graduated in 2018 from Syracuse University in transmedia, visual and performing arts. Her works aim to protect women's bodies and enact a cross-scalar approach to the collective emancipation of oppressed women. Her search for contemporary political resistance is based on her personal experience of oppression. Selma is also the founder of "Get The Heck To School," which aims to empower Romani girls around the world who have faced racism. Selma Selman currently lives and works in Bihac, BIH and New York, USA.

https://www.selmanselma.com/

Aneta Kováčová will play at the opening. The Planet Project is a collection of copyrighted poems, based on intimate stories. In her lyrics, the singer describes personal experiences as well as a view of social inequalities. The overall aural impression is of delicate, playful, vocal harmonies, melodic lines influenced by jazz and neo-soul music, soft beats, the sweetly bitter sound of keyboards and synthesizer instruments.

The KHAMORO festival has become one of the most important cultural Romani projects not only in the Czech Republic, but throughout Europe. The festival is organized by SLOVO 21, z. s. and Studio Production Saga, s.r.o and, as its organizers, we try to contribute not only to the professional presentation of Romani culture and art, but also to capture topical themes related to Romani.

Curator: Tamara Moyzes

Text: Nikola Ludlová

Co-organizators: Slovo 21, Kampus Hybernská