The Fleeing the Dark catalogue features images from works from this exhibition. It also functions as a diary and a calendar where you can record your thoughts alongside images from the exhibition. Each month includes a different poem, essay, or even a recipe from the artist’s hometown in Syria.
About the exhibition
On May 28, the Tropenmuseum opened the intervention Fleeing the Dark by Issam Kourbaj. This Syrian born artist uses his own artworks in combination with objects from the museum collections to reflect on the crisis in Syria. The intervention marks ten years since the beginning of the crisis. Thousands of miniature boats, a rare 16th century Herbarium and more make up the backbone of this exhibition about migration, growth and hope.
Kourbaj’s site-specific installation of thousands of miniature boats tenderly counts the days, weeks and months lost since the start of the Syrian crisis. Doors from Aleppo hang from the ceiling of museum, and children’s sole-less shoes mark migrations to Europe. Kourbaj utilises discarded materials to make most of his artworks, and he saw parallels in the recycled materials used in some of the museum objects that spoke to him for their deep connection to our everyday lives.
The unique 16th century Rauwolf Herbarium, with preserved Middle Eastern plants from Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, will also be on display for the first time in Amsterdam.
Fleeing the Dark is on display until 3 October 2021.
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