In her performative dinner, she begins with the story of the herbs in the eastern mediterranean herb mixture Za’atar, and the three plants needed to make it: sesame, oregano and sumac. Taking these as a starting point Samah’s performances weave the stories of people, planets and landscapes that can be traced by following the life-line of a plant. Together we sit at the dinner table for a meal of ancient and contemporary recipes inspired by these plants, offering us a deeper reflection on the politics of the food on our tables.

Bio: Samah Hijawi (she/her) is a multi-media artist (a painter, a performer, an astrologer, a story teller, a researcher and an academic, a cook—it’s up to you to decide). Regardless of the form through which she materializes her work, her projects are always deeply rooted in historical narratives which are used to re-imagine our contemporary life outside of the radicalized and polarized discourses that direct our lives today. In her recent project Kitchen. Table., she researches the movement of food practices over time and across geographies, and the body as a site of food memory. The research materializes in food map posters and performative dinners that map out the stories and spectacular trails of migration of plants, herbs and spices—to unfold the politics of the food on our tables.

Alongside the food research is an on-going project called the Aesthetics of the Political, an exploration of how a political position is embedded in the aesthetic choices in an artwork. This research has materialized in many forms (performances, podcast, curated program) and is also developed as a learning program for art students who are engaged with social and political issues in their work.

Given the limited capacity of this food performance, priority will be given to KABK students.

If you want to be part of this, send an email to studiumgenerale@kabk.nl and you will be put on the waiting list and notified when space frees up.