Prisoners of Love: Wednesday Read-ins

Name: Prisoners of Love: Wednesday Read-ins
Start: 2026-09-09
End: 2026-09-16
Location: Kunstinstituut Melly

9 September until 16 September, multiple options

Lecture

Prisoners of Love: Wednesday Read-Ins invites participants to read texts together on poetry, testimony, resistance and liberation, drawing on material from the practical work of Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme

Reading sessions

Prisoners of Love: Wednesday Read-Ins is a series of three collaborative reading sessions to mark the conclusion of the exhibition Prisoners of Love: Until the Sun of Freedom by Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme.

Syllabus

During the sessions, we will delve together into the sources and texts that the artists collected whilst creating their latest work. Research and collective learning form an important part of their artistic practice. For their research, Basel and Ruanne compiled a syllabus featuring texts by thinkers, writers and artists who have influenced their practice.

Themes

Together, we will read texts by, amongst others, Walid Daqqa, June Jordan, Nasser Abourahme and Hiba Abu Nada, and explore themes such as poetry, testimony, resistance and liberation.

Keynote

The texts do not need to be read in advance. You do not have to attend all the sessions and are welcome to join the meetings at any time or leave early. The series will conclude with a special session and a keynote talk by cultural historian, editor, translator and archivist Hazem Jamjoum on September 23.

Practical information

The sessions will be held in English and led by Aïda Sidhoum, Assistant Curator at Kunstinstituut Melly. Free admission, but registration is required.