Nielsen, Fanon, Vakili and Mezian...

Its been a busy summer due to my degree, after finishing my exams I returned to Denmark to participate in the launch event of an anti-racism and –discrimination campaign created by myself and Babak Vakili, supported by the Copenhagen Council - pictures and info can be found over here. It was a great experience and it was good to see the support the event and campaign has found around Copenhagen, of course, excluding the current government. Subsequently I returned to London to work on my MSc dissertation followed by some serious intoxication, which entailed a marked drop in my productivity levels in regards to art and updating this page (gracefully assisted by blogspots refusal to upload anything here for a couple of weeks). However, in between my attempts to reduce my liver to plywood I somehow found the time to engage in a couple of projects.

Amongst other things I am looking forward to a combined effort with Rasmus Nielsen: a number of coffees and stimulating/stimulated conversation led to the conclusion that it would be therapeutic and challenging to combine our heavily heterogeneous styles. The idea is that my clean lines and his messy, chaotic and colourful strokes of genius could combine into something that would make us both very uncomfortable and take us out of our comfort zones… I have sent my drawings of and I am looking forward to see the outcome. We are working in/on/around the broad theme of Africa in conjunction with an upcoming exhibition by Rasmus Nielsen (details to follow) and are specifically focusing on the Danish slavetrade in Ghana. To which I have also added a large portrait of revolutionary Frantz Fanon (sneak peek below). Whose books I have spent disproportionate amounts of time reading over the past couple of years.

Another friend and long-time inspiration, Babak Vakili, is the focus of a soon-to-be-finished documentary, from Soheil Hassan, which will hopefully figure in the CPH:DOX (Copenhagen documentary film festival). The documentary will continue the tradition from the albums of utilising black and white illustrations from myself, so I am back to the drawing board. Results of all these project will be published as they become available, are finished or abandoned. In the meantime, here is the artwork I did for the last EP.

The front cover

The man behind the music

The logo reading Vakili // Mezian (with the subtitle 'når alt kommer til alt')

The poster

The cd

Moreover I handwrote the lyrics for the inlay, which can be seen over here. More than making the artwork I also had the only feature on the album, on track number five “modmagt” (roughly translates as counterpower), where I have a longer rant about politics, which only seems more relevant these days – if you understand Danish you can listen to Vakili's lyrics and Mezian's beats at www.vakilisme.dk.

Aktion Auktion

Aktion Auktion is the exhibition project with works donated from 130 danish artists Previously described. The art work will be sold at an auction as benefit for iraqi refugees currently treated by deportation or already deported and arrested upon arrival in Iraq. The purpose of the project is to give economic support to the the iraqi refugees and raise attention to their case and current situation.

The opening of the exhibition will take place on thursday the 10th of september. From 16-21. Høkerboderne 8, Den Hvide Kødby, Vesterbro, Copenhagen.

Participating artists are: Jesper Aabille, Anette Abrahamsson, Martin Erik Andersen, Mette Høyen Andersen, Søren Andreasen, Armsrock, Kristina Ask, Zven Balslev, Ben Clement og Sebastian de la Cour, Linda Bjørnskov, Peter Boel, Kaspar Bonnén, Anders Bonnesen, Jacob Borges, Bosch & Fjord, Julie L. Boserup, Yvette Brackman, Peter Brandt, Vibe Bredahl, Nanna Debois Buhl, Henrik Busk, Peter Callesen, Ruth Campau, Troels Carlsen, Ursula Reuter Christiansen, Jan Danebod, das beckwerk, Cathrine Raben Davidsen, Nermin Durakovic, Jeanette Ehlers, Kasper Eistrup, Olafur Eliasson, Bjørn Pierri Enevoldsen, Joakim Eskildsen, Ida F. Ferdinand, Maria Finn, Mikkel Flohr, Jes Fomsgaard, Pia Fonnesbech, Rosa Marie Frang, Mette Gitz-Johansen, Marianne Grønnow, Jens Haaning, Erik Hagens, Christina Hamre, Karen Land Hansen, Lone Høyer Hansen, Maj Hasager, Gudrun Hasle, Charlotte Haslund-Christensen, Jeppe Hein, Henriette Heise, Peter Holst Henckel, Hesselholdt & Mejlvang, Jeanette Hillig, Peter Holm, Steen A. Hovmand, Jakob Hunosøe, Husk Mit Navn, Ulla Hvejsel, Ingen Frygt, Henrik Plenge Jakobsen, Dorte Jelstrup, Astrid Kruse Jensen, Elle Klarskov Jørgensen, Elsebeth Jørgensen, Jens Robert Jørgensen, Marianne Lipschitz Jørgensen, Eske Kath, Leif Kath, Mie Olise Kjærgaard, Jakob Kolding, John Kørner, Eva la Cour, Jørgen Carlo Larsen, Lasse Lau, Learning Site, Anika Lori, Søren Lose, Birgitta Lund, Tomas Lagermand Lundme, Hans E. Madsen, Lone Haugaard Madsen, Peter Martensen, Søren Martinsen, Al Masson, Lars Mathisen, Isis Meander, Nick Mehlsen, Truls Melin, Nina Mouritzen, Katrine Naumann, Mogens Otto Nielsen, Tina Maria Nielsen, Ursula Nistrup, Jacob Noel, Julie Nord, Michael Norre, Fie Norsker, Bjørn Nørgaard, Lise Nørholm, Sine Parkins, Lars Bent Petersen, Ursula Munch Petersen, Pind, Anne Marie Ploug, Tanja Nellemann Poulsen, Carina Randløv, Lillibeth Cuenca Rasmussen, Nikolaj Recke, Finn Reinbothe, Jytte Rex, Kirstine Roepstorff, Pia Rönicke, Emil Salto, Troels Sandegård, Henrik Saxgren, Tanja Schlander, Christian Schmidt-Rasmussen, Andreas Schulenburg, Carl Johan Sennels, Jacob Aue Sobel, Trine Søndergaard & Nicolai Howalt, Nina Sten-Knudsen, Tove Storch, Morten Stræde, Superflex, Bendt Ulrich Sørensen, Svend-Allan Sørensen, Malene Nors Tardrup, Mikael Thejll, Kirstine Vaaben, Anna Fro Vodder, Theis Wendt, Mette Winckelmann, Torgny Wilcke, Ebbe Stub Wittrup, Anders Bojen & Kristoffer Ørum.

The artwork will be available for purchase at www.aktionauktion.dk.

Iraq revisited

It is a sad fact that the cold country in the north, where I have deposited many of my friends and most of my family has consistently regressed since the current government took place. The levels of cynicism and violence have escalated to levels I had never imagined. Seeing as I (try to) make a living by imagining things this should give you an indication of where Denmark is right now.

Despite these deteriorating conditions, forgotten invasions and the domestic repression of anything that looks, smells or acts differently, Denmark has actually received refugees and asylum-seekers from places that are a lot worse, such as Iraq… Not that Denmark has not had a hand in that.

The current nationalist, conservative and neoliberal governmental constellation makes its fortunes by appealing to the lowest common denominator, racism. The reign of the current government has been characterized by populistic scapegoating of muslims and what in the media’s doublespeak as come to be referred to as “ethnic” people (there apparently is no such thing as a Danish ethnicity).

Denmark has some of the harshest immigration policies in all of Europe. Due to the highly specific interpretation of UNHCR guidelines relying on equal parts juridical contortionism and the anxiety and xenophobia which the current government utilises to maintain its grip on the population, these people are rarely granted asylum. The Danish system stipulates that people must be able to prove that they are individually targeted and preferably by someone who publisises this fact (and is not a government that Denmark’s military has helped maintain).

In a recent deal between the Danish and Iraqi governments, which the latter has denied on numerous occasions, it was made possible to send these asylum-seekers “back to where they came from” as the nationalists would have it… To an Iraq which is far from safe, especially for the people in question as has been widely documented see for instance this article. The deal has been criticised by UNHCR and Amnesty International.

Upon receiving news of this deal a number of frightened asylum-seekers left the camp the authorities had placed them in and entered a Danish church seeking shelter. In the ensuing months a legal and political struggle took place in which dedicated activists along with a multitude of helpful members of the public and a hospitable priest sought to make the government grant the asylum seekers humanitarian stay.

In the middle of the night police in combat gear entered the church and dragged the families apart. Activist sought to block the buses which were supposed to take the asylum-seekers to the camp before sending them of to Iraq. The non-violent sit-down resulted in severe clubbings from the protectors of privilege. Two horrific video of the event can be found here and here. The first twenty asylum-seekers were snuck out of the country on a plane last night, while police conducted a mass-arrest of activists.

The struggle continues, but suffers from a severe lack of funds. For this reason the good people of Aktion Auktion are curating an exhibition in support. It will feature images from some of the leading artists in Denmark and all money will go directly to the organisation which is fighting for the asylum-seekers right to remain (not even the bills are getting paid – everything is based on volunteers and donations). I have donated some pieces which will be shown (and hopefully sold) from the 10^th to the 21^st.

If you are in or around Denmark I urge you to come out and show your support at the exhibition, the demonstrations, in the voluntary work organised by Kirkeasyl, by donating, writing letters or participating in any other way possible.