Qalandiya international (qi) 2018

Founded in 2012 as a joint contemporary art event that takes place every two years across palestinian cities and villages. qi aims to place palestine on the world's cultural map by producing a series of exhibitions, as well as performances, talks, film screenings, workshops and tours, that open up channels for dialogue and exchange, both locally and internationally. as a partnership between art and culture organizations, qi works collectively to join forces to unify a fragmented geography. the name 'qalandiya' is associated with the main checkpoint operated by the israeli military, disconnecting west bank cities and communities from jerusalem and beyond. the setting of daily subjugation and humiliation, it represents the oppressive grip of the occupation. yet 'qalandiya' has other connotations that have been blurred or erased. it recalls the closed and abandoned jerusalem airport; it is also the site of the qalandiya refugee camp, and the village of qalandiya now divided by the separation wall. a meeting place of contradictions, it is now a place, and symbol, of disconnection, isolation, segregation and fragmentation. qalandiya international reclaims the name in a defiant and positive celebration of visual arts and culture across a fragmented and divided palestine and its diaspora.