Museumnacht Amsterdam (Museumnight Amsterdam) 2023 is dedicated to the exchange of love for community, heritage, and identity. Three artistic projects weave, print, and cook to showcase the interweaving of multiple identities. The artists employ soft politics to claim space for themselves, for symbolic imagery or daily habits, and for inclusive community building. Love for each other and for the other, despite the barriers sometimes raised by our society, which does not always have sufficient historical awareness of colonial pasts, migration histories, and contemporary forms of racism. On this night, everyone is invited to exchange love through experiencing, creating, eating, and observing.

Featuring: Brahim Tall & Kamal Tall, Hussein Shikha & Sadrie Alves, Samah Hijawi, and the Brussels music collective Brikabrak.

Program

19:30 - 20:00 The Za’tar Room غرفة الزعتر | Workshop and small shared meal

20:00 - 21:00 Tales of Symbologies | Lecture and workshop

20:30 - 21:00 The Za’tar Room غرفة الزعتر | Workshop and small shared meal

21:00 - 22:30 Ancestry, Posterity, Manhood, Brotherhood | Ongoing performance

21:30 - 22:00 The Za’tar Room غرفة الزعتر | Workshop and small shared meal

Brikabrak DJ sets

22:30 - 23:30 Ravi Bongo b2b BONA LÉA

23:30 - 00:30 Yooth b2b Monicashflow

00:30 - 01:30 Brahim Tall & Brikabrak

Hussein Shikha & Sadrie Alves - Tales of Symbologies

During the lecture and workshop Tales of Symbologies by Hussein Shikha and Sadrie Alves, visitors dive into an archive of translated symbols from carpet patterns and wooden printing blocks. The patterns are inspired by the various geographies of the diverse and intersectional backgrounds of the artists. These art forms are part of an intangible cultural heritage – as symbolic ornaments or visual languages. Alongside the artists, you are invited to create a collective composition. The workshop begins with a lecture where the artists explain their methodology and the urgency of this practice, followed by visual exercises, reflections, and ultimately the creation of a collective work.

Bring your own T-shirt, tote bag, or piece of fabric of your choice to print with the language of your symbology.

Please note, there is limited space during the lecture (max. 20 minutes): if you want to secure a spot, email onthaal@brakkegrond.nl. After the workshop, other visitors can also join in the collective creation.

Samah Hijawi - The Za’tar Room غرفة الزعتر

In The Za’tar Room غرفة الزعتر, artist and researcher Samah Hijawi welcomes everyone to meet the plants she collaborates with in her research on food: oregano, sesame, and sumac. The combination of these ingredients is the recipe for Za'tar, a staple herb mixture in the pantry of the Arab East Mediterranean kitchen. During Museumnacht Amsterdam, Samah invites you to prepare and share a modest meal, discovering the many connections between the smallest plants and our wider universe.

Brahim Tall & Kamal Tall - Ancestry, Posterity, Manhood, Brotherhood

In Ancestry, Posterity, Manhood, Brotherhood, brothers Brahim Tall and Kamal Tall perform the act of hair braiding on each other. Braiding – also known as 'létt,' braiding, tressage – is an age-old tradition that is part of African cultures, where symbols of a tribe, family, and status symbols were represented through the patterns and shapes braided into each other's hair. Today, braiding is known as an act mainly performed by women. It potentially provides women with a financial income but also creates bonds between women and their family members, children, friends, partners. Brahim and Kamal's mother, a Belgian woman, never braided their hair, nor did anyone else. Performing this act on each other became a way for the brothers to find a connection between themselves and their ancestral tradition, to which they had never truly connected before. The intimacy created by braiding strengthens their brotherhood, while also raising questions about their position as men and masculinity in general.

Brussels music collective Brikabrak

We conclude Museumnacht Amsterdam with a party featuring the Brussels multidisciplinary collective Brikabrak. Since 2017, this crew has been adding colour to the nightlife with innovative DJs, alternative club experiences, and open-minded music enthusiasts, all guided by an inclusive ethos. During this night, there are b2b sets by BONA LÉA & Yooth and by Ravi Bongo & Monicashflow. Multitalented Brahim Tall, in addition to being a visual artist, is also a DJ and part of the collective, and he closes the evening.