Silenced Perspectives: Freedom of Expression amidst the Israel-Palestine Conflict
Discussion event on Wednesday 27 November at 5 pm – 8 pm
In a time when public discourse is shaped by both polarization and false equivalencies, artists who express support for Palestine are increasingly facing censorship; exhibitions and talks have been cancelled, and artworks removed from displays or collections. This suppression raises questions about freedom of expression and the role of art in political discourse.
Amos Rex invites artists, cultural practitioners from Finland and abroad, as well as students and activists, to engage in a critical discussion about what this growing trend of censorship means for the art world and society more broadly.
Join us for an evening of discourse that starts off with a keynote by artist Candice Breitz, followed by a panel discussion featuring Breitz alongside artist Larissa Sansour, and actor-playwright Noora Dadu. The panel will be moderated by Kieran Long, Museum Director of Amos Rex. The event will take place on Wednesday 27 November from 5 pm to 8 pm at Bio Rex, Lasipalatsi.
While issues of censorship certainly exist in the Nordic region, the level of suppression seen in the United States and Germany has not yet occurred here. This conversation seeks to explore the warning signs of such censorship and what the Finnish artistic community can learn from these global developments. We must consider what the relative freedom of speech in Finland can be used for, how freedom of expression can be safeguarded, and what we can do to support open, inclusive, and critical artistic expression.
The event features a trio performance by Palestinian musicians Nemat Battah and Shafeeq Alsadi, together with Australian musician Nathan Riki Thomson. The performance is held in collaboration with the Sibelius Academy’s Global Music programme, University of the Arts Helsinki.
The discussion will take place in the Bio Rex cinema, after which we invite you to relax and continue the conversation in a more informal setting. Join us in the lounge for drinks, snacks, and a chance to mingle with the speakers and other participants.
The discussion event will be held entirely in English. The event has an age limit of 18 years.
Admission is free, but advance booking is required. Registration for the event has ended!
Registration has ended
Speakers
Larissa Sansour
Palestinian-Danish artist Larissa Sansour (b. 1973, East Jerusalem) is an internationally acclaimed video and installation artist whose multi-stranded career extends from the early 2000s to the present. Sansour started her career in painting, but soon moved on to photography and video. Her early works combined popular culture, humor and activism. Today, Sansour also focuses on political topics through science fiction and experimental film narrative.
Candice Breitz
Candice Breitz (b. 1972, Johannesburg) is a Berlin-based artist whose work critically examines how empathy is shaped in a media-saturated global culture. Her recent focus delves into this dynamic, exploring how strong identification with fictional characters and celebrities often coexists with widespread indifference to real-world suffering. She recently completed her “White Noise Trilogy,” a series of multi-channel video installations including Love Story (2016), TLDR (2017), and Whiteface (2022). Breitz has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as Tate Liverpool, SFMOMA, and Palais de Tokyo, and represented South Africa at the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017. Her work has been featured at film festivals like Sundance and TIFF, and is held in collections including MoMA (New York), the Tate (London), and EMMA (Espoo). Since 2007, she has been a tenured professor at HBK Braunschweig.
Noora Dadu
Noora Dadu is a Finnish-Palestinian actor and playwright known for blending the personal with the political in her work. She has written the books Minun Palestiinani ja Fail (2022) and Roolitus (2024). Dadu is a founding member and chair of Sumud – Finnish Palestinian network.
Kieran Long
Kieran Long, the Museum Director of Amos Rex, will moderate the panel. British-born Long previously served as Director of ArkDes, the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design. Before that, he led the Design, Architecture, and Digital Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London and headed the curatorial team for the 2012 Venice Architecture Biennale. Long has also built a long career as a teacher, broadcaster, writer, and commentator.
Musicians
Nemat Battah
Nemat Battah is a Palestinian-Jordanian singer, oud player, composer and educator. She is currently based in Helsinki, Finland, where she is a lecturer and Vice Head of Sibelius Academy’s Global Music Department. Nemat is trained in traditional Arabic music. In her own music she explores and navigates her experiences of transgenerational war trauma as a person of Palestinian heritage whose family was forced into exile from Palestine to Jordan in 1948. She also collaborates with internationally renowned artists in Finland and abroad.
Join us as Shafeeq Alsadi, Nemat Battah, and Nathan Thomson perform two beautiful Palestinian folk songs, featuring some improvised introduction!
Shafeeq Alsadi
Shafeeq Alsadi is a Palestinian qanun player and singer, born in Jerusalem and raised in Bethlehem. His music blends free improvisation with Arabic and world music influences, creating connections across cultures.
Join us as Shafeeq Alsadi, Nemat Battah, and Nathan Thomson perform two beautiful Palestinian folk songs, featuring some improvised introduction!
Nathan Thomson
Nathan Riki Thomson is a double bass player, multi-instrumentalist, composer, researcher, and educator with a core focus on intercultural dialogue and collaboration with different peoples, sonic environments, and places. Nathan is currently professor and head of Global Music studies at Sibelius Academy, University of the Arts Helsinki.
Join us as Shafeeq Alsadi, Nemat Battah, and Nathan Thomson perform two beautiful Palestinian folk songs, featuring some improvised introduction!
Program
Opening words, 10 min
Kieran Long
Music performance, 10 min
Nemat Battah (oud player), Shafeeq Alsadi (qanun player and singer) and Nathan Thomson (collaboration with Sibelius academy)
Keynote, 20 min
Candice Breitz
Panel discussion, 45 min
Moderator: Kieran Long
Panelists: Candice Breitz, Noora Dadu, Larissa Sansour
Q&A, 15 min
Time for audience questions
Final words, 5 min
Kieran Long
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6.50 pm – 8.00 pm
Discussion, drinks and music in the foyers.
