Creating Spaces of Freedom

Culture in Defiance

Edited by Els van der Plas, Malu Halasa and Marlous Willemsen

In some countries, artists who express dissenting views of the social and cultural circumstances, in which they live and work, experience resistance ranging from social exclusion to, at worst, state oppression. In response, they seek refuge within their imaginations and artistic endeavours where they create and inhabit ‘spaces of freedom’.

Creating Spaces of Freedom is an anthology of essays by such notable figures as Nobel Prize Winner in Literature Wole Soyinka, anti-apartheid activist Albie Sachs, banned Vietnamese novelist Duong Thu Huong and the Algerian comedian Fellag. In addition, this unique cultural document contains nearly 100 photographs of news, CD and book covers, films, cartoons, websites, and fine art.

From Brazilian soap opera directors and Chinese avant-garde artists to Arab cartoonists and Serbian website designers, people from around the world find ways to transcend limitations and avoid repercussions. Creating Spaces of Freedom celebrates triumph over adversity.

ABOUT THE EDITOR(S)

Els van der Plas is the director of the Prince Claus Fund. An art historian, art critic and curator, she was the founder and director (1987-1997) of the Gate Foundation in Amsterdam, an organisation for the intercultural exchange of contemporary art. She co-edited The Art of African Fashion, published by the Prince Claus Fund. She writes for several magazines and lectures at different universities worldwide. She curated, among others, the following shows, Het Klimaat (Netherlands, 1991), Indonesian Modern Art (Indonesia / Netherlands, 1993), Orientation (Indonesia

/ Netherlands, 1996) and Secrets (Netherlands, 1996).

Malu Halasa is the daughter of Arab and Filipino immigrants. She is the features editor of Tank, a visually-led bimonthly, and of Mined, a biannual of new ideas. Both publications are published in London. She has written for the Guardian, Index on Censorship, New Statesman, The Sunday Times and Rolling Stone. She recently started www.fidela.com, and independent record label in the UK.

Marlous Willemsen is a policy officer for the Prince Claus Fund. She studied Arabic language and culture at Utrecht University (1988-1994), and Islamic art at Otto Friedrich University in Bamberg, Germany (1991-1992). She is a member of the board of the Centre of Islamic Art and Culture, Rotterdam, which she managed (1994-1997) before joining the Prince Claus Fund in 1997. In this centre she ran partnerships with cultural organisations in the Middle East and North Africa and set up intellectual projects in the Netherlands.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Over 100 full colour illustrations.

REVIEWS

‘An exhilarating collection.’ Marina Warner, The Independent

‘This book is not only a wonderful celebration of the necessity, the dignity, and the joy of freedom.’ Ian Buruma

‘A long overdue look at the role of art in places where subversion is the only way to challenge the status quo.’ 
Wallpaper

Language: English
ISBN: 9780863567360
2002, paperback, 196 pages, 17.0 x 22.0 cm

Subject: Arts, Cultural Studies