exhibition:

Gastarbeider Dating

Curated by Irina Birger and Katja Sokolova

30 Jan 2008
16 Mar 2008

Looking for a new friendship, cultural dipping or creative impulse? Curious about other people and cultures? Then Gastarbeider (Immigrant) Dating was something for you! From January 27th to the 16th of March 2008, 10 artists from 7 different countries landed in the Mediamatic exhibition space. Each artist stayed for one week and brought some friends along.

Everyone was welcome between Wednesday to Sunday from 16.00 - 20.00 hrs. Our daily programme included films, performances, the photobooth, the friend drink station and many other events.

Gastarbeider Dating was an exhibition series about identity, feeling at home, being foreign and meeting each other.

Enlarge

Katja Sokolova Dating Poster - 30 januari - 16 maart 2008: Gastarbeider Dating was een serie van zeven tentoonstellingen over identiteit, je thuis voelen, vreemd zijn en elkaar ontmoeten. Curators Katja Sokolova en Irina Birger vroegen 10 kunstenaars uit 7 verschillende landen om een week lang, samen met hun eigen sociale netwerk van landgenoten, Nederlanders of andere vrienden een tentoonstellingsproject te maken. Van iedere kunstenaar werd een poster en een flyer gemaakt en in Amsterdam verspreid. Op de openingsavond op 26… Willem Velthoven

Aimee Zito Lema showed that Argentina is not only steak and tango, but also literature and film. Kyoko Inatome and Emiko Chujo introduced the culture of making Japanese mochi in the Netherlands. Zhana Ivanova made a remake of a Bulgarian comedy film from the 70s, with Mediamatic visitors as actors.

Gil&Moti had conversations with Arabic waiters in a kibbutz kitchen. Brian McKenna searched for fellow Canadians in Amsterdam using a microphone and a radio transmitter. Sara Rajaei demonstrated the difference between Iranians and Arabs. And Irina Birger and Katja Sokolova taught Dutch men how to date the Russian way. They were also the curators of this exhibition.

The programme
week 5: 30.01 - 03.02 Irina Birger (Russia, 1972) and Katja Sokolova (Russia, 1977)
week 6: 06.02 - 10.02 Aimee Zito Lema (Argentina, 1982)
week 7: 13.02 - 17.02 Kyoko Inatome (Japan, 1973) and Emiko Chujo (Japan, 1973)
week 8: 20.02 - 24.02 Zhana Ivanova (Bulgaria, 1977)

week 9: 27.02 - 02.03 Gil & Moti (Israel 1968 and 1971)
week 10: 05.03 - 09.03 Brian McKenna (Canada, 1975)
week 11: 12.03 - 16.03 Sara Rajaei (Iran, 1976)