| You
can sit at home and be content all you can venture out into
the world, but be forewarned, there maybe some risking in
leaving. You can encounter things that my disturb you, mentally
and or physically. You may even lose your orientation, but
you might also gain a plethora of new ideas. Your mind grows
and you begin to ask more questions. In the field of art,
you must take those risks. You must walk out on the plank
of life and jump off.
Today
art is very complex. There is no real definition of art. The
question is frequently asked. Who has the right o say what
is art and what is not? Is there a difference between life
and art? Or maybe life itself is a piece of art?
Moderna Museet in Stockholm was curious to find out what was
happening in the art life of Jordan. A project was discussed
and contact made. During spring time, "Amman … A Meeting
Point" was launched. Ann Edholm and Haken Rehnberg, two Swedish
artists, exhibited their paintings at Darat Al Funun. It was
the first artistic collaboration between Sweden and Jordan.
Communication is give and take , since the Swedish artists
went to Jordan it is now time for the Jordanian artists to
come to Sweden I personally went to Jordan and with the guidance
of Darat Al Funun's staff, I met with many artists and saw
their art work. I saw some very good art but had to choose
only six artists to exhibit their work in Sweden. I decided
to pick the artists whose art most illustrated the idea of
"meeting point". Two completely different cultures and ideas
expressed in art and exhibited side by side at Konsthallen
in Goteborg, Sweden.
My deepest gratitude to everybody involved in The "Amman …
A Meeting Point" project: Darat Al Funun Moderna Museet International
program, Swedish Institute, the artists … all are welcome
to Konsthallen and the project "Goteborg … A Meeting
Point".
 Excerpts
from the catalogue of the Jordanian exhibition at
The Konsthallen - Goteborg, Sweden
The various civilizations of our world are a mosaic of believes,
an assimilation of new ideas and exchanges amongst the peoples
who made our world what it is today. The story of art reflects
the same pattern. At the turn of the twentieth century, in
the making of what is modern art today, artist from Europe
were inspired by the arts and light of Africa and Asia - the
"South of the World". Creative people from time immemorial,
Arab artists today, with their rich heritage and traditional
arts, are inspired by the arts of Europe and America - "The
North of the World". In our era of "Mondialization", barriers
are falling. Is the universalism of the human spirit at its
peak? Is the quest the same but the form of expression different?
Dialogue and interaction amongst the artists being one of
main goals of Darat Al Funun, the idea of an exhibition of
Swedish artists in Jordan "Amman … A Meeting Point"
(march 99), to be followed now by an exhibition of Jordanian
artists together with the Swedish artists at the Konsthallen
Goteborg "Gothenburg … A Meeting point", was conceived
in cooperation with The Modern Museum and Svenska Institute
in Stockholm. It is needless to emphasize the importance of
such an endeavor, the first of its kind in Jordan and in Sweden.
The Swedish artists exhibition was curated by the director
of Darat Al Funun, Mr. Ali Maher, and the Jordanian artists
were chosen by the director of The Konsthallen - Goteborg,
Mr. Svenrobert Lundquist.
This joint exhibition of Swedish and Jordanian artists tries
to bring forward the duality, harmony and diversity of their
expression. It raises once more the question " who are we?
Where do we come from? Where are we going?" We hope this "Meeting
Point" at The Konsthallen - Goteborg will stimulate a reflection
on Art today and create a new dynamic open to infinite horizons.
Jordanian Artists Contributing in the "Goteborg - A Meeting
Point"
Samer
Tabbaa
Farouk
Lambaz
Rajwa
Ali
Ghadah
Dahdaleh
Mohammad
Qaitouqa
Hani Hourani
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