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Dima Karout – artist and curator in residence of the art studio in Room to Breathe
Dima Karout is our first artist in residence for our Room to Breathe exhibition and will be curator in residence of the art studio in the exhibition. In this blog post, Dima introduces her artistic practice and approach and explains how our artist-in-residence series will work.
Dima Karout (centre)
I’m a visual artist and art educator. I work with mixed media to create images, texts and installations. In my research, artwork and classes, I advocate for socially engaged art.
My latest projects investigate the evolution of identity beyond borders, trace moments of internal and external conflicts and explore the relationship between people and places.
My work is a reflection of the human experience of migration and deals with visible and invisible boundaries, exile and the loss of home. It also sheds light on the greatness of the human soul and its invincible force to survive.
I grew up in Damascus, Syria. After finishing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in visual communication at the Fine Arts University of Damascus, I started an international journey. I have a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in contemporary art from Paris VIII University, France and a certificate in creative writing from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. In the past 15 years, I’ve exhibited work in Damascus, Leipzig, Paris, Montreal and London. I’ve lived and worked on different continents and discovered many cultures while developing experience in curating art exhibitions, organising cultural events, designing educational art programmes and teaching.
Today, I live and work in London. I am more and more interested in designing participatory installations and art workshops where people from different backgrounds can touch their creative side, reflect on current issues, express themselves and connect with others.
I am working with the Migration Museum throughout the run of their upcoming Room to Breathe exhibition as their artist and curator in residence.
For the first time, the Migration Museum is creating a residency programme for migrant artists. After launching an open call and reviewing the applications, we have invited a different artist each month to take up residency in the the art studio space that we have created as part of the exhibition. Each artist will be encouraged to rearrange the studio and make it their own. The artists will present their previous work and create new work in the studio.
I will be the first artist in residence (from 1 November until 2 December 2018) and will work with all of the invited artists who will subsequently take up residence during the rest of the exhibition run to create a creative programme, develop participatory and educational aspects of the art studio space, arrange meet-the-artist sessions, and curate a final group exhibition showcasing works created by all of our artists in residence during the course of the exhibition. More details about the invited artists-in-residence during the course of the exhibition will be published on the Migration Museum website soon.
During my residency, I wish to work on a new installation artwork: We Are Made of People and Places. This new work will reflect on personal identity and our human journey. If you wish to find out more about my previous work or new work in progress, come and have a conversation with me or participate in one of my workshops. I will be happy to welcome you into my ‘Room to Breathe’ during the month of November and share my passion for art with you.
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Dima Karout will be artist in residence from 1 November–2 December 2018. During her residency, she will host two hands-on educational workshops:
Fingerprints – Woodcut / Linocut Print Workshop on Saturday November 10, 11am–3pm
Connect the Dots – Acrylic Painting Workshop on Saturday November 24, 11am–3pm
Dima will be also hosting free weekly Meet-the-Artist sessions throughout her residency every Sunday in November from 3pm–4pm, during which visitors will have the chance to ask a question, answer one, print a bridge and leave a trace in her art studio. See the Facebook event pages for more information:
Sunday 4 November, 3pm–4pm
Sunday 11 November, 3pm–4pm
Sunday 18 November, 3pm–4pm
Sunday 25 November, 3pm–4pm
To find out more about Dima’s work, visit dimakarout.com
About the art studio in Room to Breathe
The art studio inside our Room to Breathe exhibition is a space curated by visual art and educator Dima Karout to explore the role of art and creativity in helping people settle into new lives in Britain, and to offer educational art experiences for visitors. Each month, the studio will host a different migrant artist to share their work and process.
View the full schedule of artists in residence and find out more about Room to Breathe
Open call for refugee and migrant artists
The Migration Museum is planning an exhibition called Room to Breathe launching in November 2018 and running through Summer 2019. We want to explore the theme of resilience of immigrants through a series of rooms designed to encourage visitor interaction. One of the rooms is a small art studio – (approximately 6 metres x 6 metres) in which we would like to exhibit the work of refugee or migrant artists.
We are working with visual artist Dima Karout as our artist/curator in residence for the artist studio. She is collaborating with us to create the art studio concept and its educational and participatory aspects.
We are inviting refugee or migrant artists based in London to apply for the opportunity to work in the art studio for a period of three weeks to one month. Each artist will be invited to make this art studio space his or her own by adding their personal elements. The artist will use the space to display previous work, create new work around the theme of resilience, and then participate in a group show at the end of the main exhibition in July.
We expect the artists to:
- Be available for three weeks to one month in either March/April/May or June 2019
- Be present in the studio as much as possible during their stay
- Have some work already made that can be displayed
- Help install their work and set up the studio at the beginning of their stay
- Act in the role of invigilator of the space
- Occasionally interact and talk with the museum visitors
- Help visitors make an artistic contribution to the space if they want to
- Prepare and run two scheduled workshops in the studio or the larger space within the gallery
- Create work around the subject of resilience during their stay
- Participate in and help install a group exhibition at the end of the exhibition run
We offer:
- £500 that will need to cover all your fees, expenses and materials (The art studio will be fitted out with tables, basic art materials, easels etc. But you can personalise the space to your style during your stay)
- An opportunity to exhibit and sell your work
- Publicity through our website and social media
- Welcome and help with installing and setting up
Please send a short proposal (A4) to include:
- An idea in writing of what you want to work on and make, related to the theme of resilience, during your time in the space. Explain what medium you will use and what possible workshops you can facilitate
- Max of ten photos or links that show your previous work
- A short biography
Please send this file by email to:
Sue McAlpine, Migration Museum Curator: sue@migrationmuseum.org
Application Format:
All info in one pdf file
Title of the file: YourFullName.pdf
Subject of the email: Art Studio Application
Deadline: September 25, 2018
Migration Museum campaign highlights diversity of England World Cup team
© Clear Channel
The Migration Museum highlighted the diversity of the England team in a campaign to coincide with England’s first World Cup game against Tunisia on 18 June 2018 asking what the starting XI would look like without the impact of first and second-generation immigrants.
In partnership with Wonderhood Studios and Clear Channel, the Migration Museum released a five-man team sheet in digital out-of-home and on social media in response to the team announcement before kick-off, championing immigration as a powerful force for good at a moment when all eyes were on the England national team.
“The diverse nature of England’s World Cup team highlights the contribution of migrants in making us who we are today. In fact, if you trace back the family histories of every member of tonight’s team, you would almost certainly find a migration story – whether of immigration, emigration, or both,” said Sophie Henderson, director of the Migration Museum.
“But migration has shaped far more than just tonight’s starting line-up. That’s why we are creating an inspiring national museum that puts Britain’s important migration story at the forefront of our national consciousness – where it belongs.”
“Clear Channel is delighted to be able to support this outstanding creative work for The Migration Museum and demonstrate the immediacy, impact and flexibility of digital out of home,” said William Eccleshare, Chairman and CEO of Clear Channel International.