Exil.s et création.s
discussion day
Undocumented immigrants, artist or not, are often asked to take part in artistic projects based on their experiences: plays, documentaries, participatory projects, residencies, collaborative works, etc. Intuitively, it may seem that this is undoubtedly for the better as it gives their struggle a more prominent place in public debate. Yet the overall assessment of the undocumented immigrants who take part in these projects is one of failure. Between tokenism, promises of visibility, alienating aesthetics, opaque production methods, instrumentalization of lived experiences and superficial solidarity, the list of pitfalls and disappointments is long.
Migrant collectives joined forces with artist allies, groups, and institutions, to develop Exile and Creation* to address this situation––to define, in the words of the exiles themselves, an ethics of collaboration. The socio-cultural and artistic sectors are invited to join them on Tuesday, November 28 to discuss these themes. Open to all, this day will bring together artists; cultural, artistic and continuing-education organizations; collectives of undocumented and documented artists; and any individual or organization in the socio-cultural sector that works with immigrants.
What narratives are by and for undocumented immigrants? What perspectives serve their struggle? What are the limits of testimony, and what fictions are possible? What else can be said about migratory phenomena and their consequences in terms of aesthetics, production, and distribution processes? How are Black artists received by cultural institutions? What employment rights, what room for maneuvering do they have? And what is authentic solidarity on the part of institutions? These are just a few of the questions that will be looked at through an anti-racist, anti-sexist and anti-classist prism.
An event proposed by Voix des Sans-Papiers (VSP), Comité des femmes sans-papiers, ERG and ESA St-Luc in partnership with ANdEA, l'atelier des artistes en exil, PUZLP (co-financed by the European Union's Erasmus + programme) and KANAL-Centre Pompidou.
*The Exile and Creation steering committee is made up of members of the Voix des sans papiers de Bruxelles (VSP BXL), the Voix des sans papiers de Liège, the Comité des femmes sans papiers, the Baraka Grafika collective, the Écoles Supérieures d'Arts Saint-Luc & ERG, in addition to both documented and undocumented artists.