An artist will work with Syrian refugees who have settled in the north-east after fleeing their homes for his latest project.
German-Syrian Manaf Halbouni will take up the three-month residency in Huntly, to create new work inspired by the conflict in Syria.
He will work with the community in Huntly, including Syrian refugees who have had to flee their homes, after being invited by arts organisation Deveron Projects.
The 32-year-old, who was born in Damascus to a Syrian father and German mother, studied at an art school in Damascus and has been based at the Dresden School of Fine Art since 2009.
The starting point for his residency, which begins in mid-March, is the Sykes-Picot Agreement – a secret agreement made in 1916 which saw the old Ottoman Empire carved up by British and French officials with support from the former Russian Empire.
Halbouni will develop a performance piece, titled What If?, which puts audiences in the shoes of Middle Eastern nations and asks them to see the world from the perspective of the colonised rather than the coloniser.
He said: “My project reacts to a time when many people from the Arab, Middle Eastern world are confronted with conflicts resulting from the colonial and post-colonial era.
“Wars, conflicts and the resulting migration to Europe compel us to explore and explain our rarely questioned history.”
Claudia Zeiske, director of Deveron Projects, said: “We are delighted to welcome Manaf to Huntly, particularly as our area has already welcomed many refugees from the conflict in Syria.
“The impact of the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement on the Middle East shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Manaf’s European-Syrian heritage not only gives him an innate understanding of issues currently facing the country in which he was brought up, but also of the wider implications of conflicts for the Middle East, Europe and beyond.”
