Join us in solidarity for the life and freedom of Palestinian poet and curator Ashraf Fayadh. Following a two year trial, Fayadh was sentenced to death by a Saudi court for apostasy in November 2015. With PEN American Center, the Brooklyn Museum answers a global call put out by International Literature Festival Berlin (ILB) for all individuals and institutions to participate in a reading to press the U.K. and U.S. governments to intervene on behalf of Fayadh, free expression, and the defense of human rights.
A Palestinian refugee who has found his home Saudi Arabia, Ashraf Fayadh works as a poet, arts organizer, and curator. His work has helped cultivate the contemporary art community in Saudi Arabia and introduce these artists to the world. In 2013, Fayadh co-curated the first ever exhibition of emerging Saudi artists at the Venice Biennale. Through his poetry and organizing Fayadh promotes cultural exchange and understanding through the peaceful and universal power of art.
On Thursday we will host a reading with photographer, performance artist, and provocateur Dred Scott; poet, language artist, and educator Natalie Diaz; writer and activist Ru Freeman; poet Lawrence Joseph; and writer Dina Omar as they read selections of Fayadh’s poems and other texts in both English and Arabic in the Glass Pavillion. Their voices will join a chorus of artists and activists reading simultaneously around the world in support of Fayadh. The event will be moderated by writer and editor Elissa Schappell and editor Rob Spillman.
Free and open to the public, you too can answer the call and stand in unity with artists, activists, and institutions around the world in the name of free expression. Reblog and share this post to help get the word out about Fayadh’s story. If you are unable to make it to the museum, tune into our Livestream.
Posted by Claire Kissinger