In search of (curatorial) answers

Curatorial Interventions

Based on what we had heard, thought about, and discussed in the previous sessions, I invited the participants to now focus on the place where we were convening, the Damascus Room. In four groups, they discussed the following topics:

Hospitality. 

The idea of the “welcoming Oriental” is one trope of Orientalism that persists to this day. However, it is also reflected in a social reality where Orientalized people often place a high emphasis on treating guests with respect and hospitality. Do you also see this as a dilemma? How would you address it curatorially?

© Anna Perepechai


Contextualization.

How would you contextualize the Damascus Room? What would you like to thematize, what would you like to show (or not show), what would you like to make happen, and what would you like the visitors to experience?

Info:

  • October 10, 2023
  • Workshop
  • Germany/ Dresden / Japanisches Palais

Glossary:

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Participants:

  • Nushin Atmaca

    Nushin Atmaca

    Nushin Atmaca has been a researcher and curator at the Museum Europäischer Kulturen (MEK) in Berlin since 2023. Previously, she worked at the Museum für Islamische Kunst and the Leibniz-Zentrum Moderner Orient (ZMO). She studied Islamic Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, with extended stays in Alexandria, Cairo, and Amman, and holds a Master’s degree from the Cultures of the Curatorial program at HGB Leipzig. Nushin’s work focuses on decolonization and the diversity and visibility of marginalized communities. Her current projects include researching the MEK collection for traces of European Muslims, curating an installation to present this research publicly, and reducing the number of discriminatory entries in the museum’s database.