AllArtNow

Stockholm, Sweden

Damascus / Almansha street
Stockholm / Älvkarleövägen 6 Bv
14136 Damascus / Stockholm
Stockholm, Sweden

allartnow@gmail.com

AllArtNow was established in 2005 by artist Nisrine Boukhari and curator Abir Boukhari. It is considered to be the first independent collective space for contemporary art in Damascus where it had its own space, organizational structure, and cultural agenda, connecting contemporary artists in Syria with the rest of the world. AllArtNow succeeded in creating opportunities for artists to learn, produce and exhibit their works. It became a hub for emerging artistic practices with a social focus and served as a meeting point for international and local artists, as well as audiences. At the end of 2012, AllArtNow started to act as a nomadic space. The organization has been invited to various institution throughout the world, being in a state of liquefaction; movable, and fluid, trying to adjust itself to other places in temporary forms, taking different shapes and challenges, making research and discover alternative solutions to maintain the structure of an organization in the state of contingency. In 2019, AllArtNow entered a new phase we reside temporarily in Stockholm where we have now a physical space, adjust our goal, and investigate deeply on the issues of mobility, displacement and being in exile. The Concept: Something Can Happen Beyond Expectation Does art able to be a powerful tool for improving our life? We, humans, use language as a basic skill to speak about what we need, want, and what we face. However, what happens when we find ourselves incapable of speaking about our hard experiences? What if our brain hides these bad experiences in our subconsciousness in an attempt to safeguard itself? Art therapy benefits individuals who have survived trauma resulting from war, abuse or natural disaster. People with adverse physical health conditions are greatly helped by art therapy. It also aids people in resolving their internal conflicts, improving their interpersonal lives and dealing with their problematic behaviors. In my project, I am looking to the works of some artists that I know, who I have met or spoken to. The works of these artists motivate me to think: Do artists generally use art as a therapy to help themselves first? When the artist creates work in the process of expressing difficult interpersonal experience, I wonder if viewing the resultant works would benefit those who don’t have the same artistic skills? Will the artist’s vulnerability open door for the viewer to think about their problem? Can the artist lead the way in this process of internal discovery? Is it therapeutic to speak about our problems as if the viewers are the artists? Is it possible that I, the viewer, will feel better when I see I am not the only one who faces hard experiences

Out of Time and Space/Rezan Arab
Silent Alienation/Muhammad Ali
Breathing Map/Nisrine Boukhari
I am Lost/Mahmoud Dayoub
Home Sweet Home/Diana Jabi
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