Mother Earth Calling

Mother Earth Calling is an art exhibition held in Basel in October 2021, with global Atelier Mondial artists and amongst others, local artists from House Oslo Studios Cooperative with community interaction and participation. The exhibition features artists from Argentina, Brasil, Canada, England, India, Japan, Germany, Greece, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Switzerland, expressing their works in varying media forms, curated by Rama Kalidindi.

Flyers...

This exhibition follows on from a series of exhibitions where life unfolds from the sources of water (Snow), Sun, The Mother's Studio and Mothers' Room, also curated by Rama Kalidindi.

'Mother Earth Calling' is a Global-Local-Community collaboration between artists who travelled from far and wide to extend their art practice in Basel at Atelier Mondial, our local artists at the House Oslo Ateliers Cooperative and some other selected artists, working closely with local and global communities, including in Delhi, which has become particularly relevant in this time of Covid lockdown due to the virus' rampant spread.

This exhibition was planned for autumn 2020 but due to the ever increasing restrictions caused by the Covid pandemic, it was curbed and it's energy remained latent and dormant. The sleeping serpent has awakened in the midst of a truly global phenomena, with variants and vaccines, socio-economic crises from a primarily public health issue which has blown up into higher and greater proportions that cannot easily be contained. It has been a big test for humanity, demonstrating all its flaws, showing its strengths, weaknesses, grave mistakes and desperations.

Now, this project has turned around from the idea of something more peaceful with spiritual idealisms and harmony into something requiring more of a primal scream !

The vision of this project has become very Covid relevant, as we are undeniably still in the midst of the pandemic. It has highlighted the machinations and inner workings of humanity, apparent in many ways at individual, group and country levels, with a full blown worldwide cataclysm ! Willingly and unwillingly, we have had to accept the states of existence that it has brought us, with so many commonalities and yet so many variations. Supposedly, optimal solutions have been brought forward by many bright minds. Despite this, we came to a grinding halt, in so many arenas, for longer periods of time. This public health matter is the backbone for our socio-economically driven souls and cannot be uncoupled and treated in isolation.

So what is all this about ? This is the question for this exhibition. Mother Earth has truly been calling; pleading for our attentions, reactions, observations, corrections and mindfulness. Mother Earth has been screaming and shouting out loud from the supposed clearer waters of Venice, to the smog ridden metropolises and the flaming visualisations of late, emanating from the capital of the world's largest democracy in Delhi. This weapon of mass destruction cannot be found in a hole in the ground and operates with the utmost of stealth, achieving wide-reaching penetrance, in so many corners of the globe. Whether we want to run or hide, we are obliged to experience this BIG human correction (like on the stock market) and have been forced to be massively mindful and patient.

This exhibition is a direct follow-through, where an integrated thread flows through other exhibitions from 2019 and earlier in 2021. First there was SNOW (in the Himalayas and Alps), which melts to water. With WATER and SUN we create life. Then there was the celebration of life in Mother's Studio (an exhibition curated by Manmeet Devgun in Delhi) and this life flowed into Basel in Mothers' Room which was no act of feminism nor an exercise of masculinity (both are 'equally' needed for life!). It was a representation of simple truths, in all their forms, nurturing, caring, thriving, through birth, life and death, with a central orange tree of wishes, or thoughts, from whence all is born...actions are born from thoughts...in the last two exhibitions there were themes of SOHAM, BRAHMAN and ATMAN...identifying with the self, the higher power and the position of the self and ego. All fundamental and profound questions which may or may not bring one to enlightenment, a higher truth or an answer.

Mother Earth Calling, brings together declarations, lamentations, primal screams, loud and quiet, interrupted or flowing, in all their shapes and forms. Artworks are displayed in varying media including poetry, creative writing, paintings, drawings, video installations, sculptures and performance. For international participants, art expressed through digital forms has been made possible. A display of a masala (mix) of expressions, showing a vivid collection of global and local art, interwoven with community action, presence and spirit.

Workshops will be held in English and in German, with cross-language translations where needed.

Exhibition text...

Artists

Belén Romero Gunset - Installation
Brendhan Dickerson - Performance, Sculpture
Dawn Nilo - Installation
Deneth Piumakshi Wedaarachchige - Video
Dorothea Rust - Photography
Eva Borner - Photography
Irene Maag - Installation
Ishita Chakraborty - Installation
Manmeet Devgun - Writing
Margarit Lehmann - Video and Printworks
Márcio de Abreu - Video
Mohsin Shafi - Artist Book
Parvez - Performance video, Installation
Petra Keinhorst - Sculpture
Rama Kalidindi - Performance, Installation
Tomoko Hashimoto - Painting
Yota Tsotra - Painting

Sharing Stories

Throughout the 2 week period a colourful array of offerings can be experienced, including performances.

Events

Sunday, 17th October, 18:00 - 21:00 Standing with the Earth Meditation, Cooking together - Brendhan, Andrea and guests

Friday, 22nd October, 19:00 - 22:00 Vernissage
Friday, 22nd October, 20:00 - 20:45 Opening Performance and Ceremony, Rama, Brendhan and Group
Saturday, 23rd October, 9:00 - 10:30 Morning Yoga, Rama
Saturday, 23rd October, 14:00 - 16:00 Illustration Workshop, Rama
Montag, 25. Oktober, 18:00 - 19:30 Drum Workshop, Kurdish DAF Connection
Tuesday, 26rd October, 18:30 - 19:30 Artist Talk
Wednesday, 27th October, 15:00 - 17:00 Childrens' Illustration Workshop, Rama
Thursday, 28th October, 18:45 - 20:30 Sharing Stories
Friday, 29th October, 18:30 - 19:30 Artist Talk
Saturday, 30th October, 9:00 - 10:30 Morning Yoga, Rama
Saturday, 30th October, 14:00 - 16:00 Illustration Workshop, Rama
Sunday, 31st October, 14:00 - 16:00 Illustration Workshop, Rama
Tuesday, 2nd November, 18:30 - 19:30 Artist Talk
Wednesday, 3rd November, 15:00 - 17:00 Childrens' Illustration Workshop, Rama
Thursday, 4th November, 18:45 - 20:30 Sharing Stories
Friday, 5th November, 18:30 - 19:30 Artist Talk
Saturday, 6th November, 9:00 - 10:30 Morning Yoga, Rama
Saturday, 6th November, 14:00 - 16:00 Illustration Workshop, Rama
Sunday, 7th November, 18:00 - 22:00 Finnisage
Sunday, 7th November, 18:00 - 19:00 Panel Discussion
Sunday, 7th November, 19:30 - 20:00 Kurdish Drum Concert, DAF Connection
Sunday, 7th November, 20:00 - 20:15 Standing with the Earth Meditation, Brendhan

Interesting references

Rights of Mother Earth
Give the Earth a Voice
Orangutan - filmed trying to fight off digger destroying it's jungle home
Five Million Incidents blog - Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan New Delhi and Kolkata

🦠 - Admission inside, with Covid certificate only.
- You must be vaccinated, recovered or tested
- Possible tests: Antigen rapid test (48h validity), PCR test (72h validity)
- Home-tests are not valid
- Please bring your Covid certificate and ID/ Passport with you

Otherwise, possible outside, without certificate
20:00 - 20:40, Performance