Exhibition is open to the public until July 31, 2019 Tuesdays-Saturdays, 12pm-6pm ArtX 409 West 14th Street New York, NY

In collaboration with ArtX, an artists’ club and cultural platform located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking district, ARC welcomes the Sudanese political cartoonist Khalid Albaih for a month-long Freedom residency. This new initiative aims to raise awareness about the field of artistic freedom of expression.

Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese political cartoonist who considers himself a virtual revolutionist, publishing his political cartoons about life in the Arab world on international blogs and websites. He is currently an artist-in-residence in Copenhagen, Denmark as part of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN). His work champions freedom of expression in the Arab world and beyond. Albaih, along many other artists and world influencers, has been leading the  #BlueforSudan social media campaign to show solidarity with pro-democracy protesters in Sudan.

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“This is a very important time for the Sudanese diaspora to communicate with international cities like New York. I feel a responsibility to stand up for those fighting for freedom and hope in my country. Despite the backlash, Sudanese pro-democracy groups have persevered in their peaceful resistance, sometimes paying with their lives. Despite the anger and pain of losing friends and family, there is no turning back and there is no changing direction at this point.” — Khalid Albaih

Against the backdrop of the current struggle in Sudan, Albaih’s residency will provide an opportunity for audiences to explore the role of artists in promoting free expression. The residency program will be open to the public at 409 West 14th Street, New York until July 31, 2019 and include live painting of Albaih’s first large-scale murals, and a pop-up Khartoon! exhibition. A special fundraising event and book launch to support artists-at-risk in Sudan was held held on Thursday, July 11 with special guest performances from Mo Kheir, Araki, Alsarah, Ahmed Gallab (of Sinkance), Ramey Dawoud, and Ahmed Hamad. The event was a huge success and raised thousands of dollars for artists at risk in Sudan. This inaugural Freedom residency in New York will coincide with Albaih’s first major US exhibition at MOCA Jacksonville. The residency is conceived as a continuation of Albaih’s 2016 U.S. Culturunners road trip, The Story of Civil Rights is Unfinished. This piece was featured in the Guardian’s short documentary series, Crossing the Line, and explored race, politics, and the American civil rights movement in the wider context of transnational human rights. The residency seeks to foreground Albaih’s more recent work on global injustice and solidarity.

For more information, please email info@artxclub.com.

Artx ICORN