News

Art in Conflict Discussion Series 
Gessnerallee Zurich

Wednesday, 16. September 2026, 17.30–19.00 CEST
Stall 6, Gessnerallee 6, Zurich & Zoom 
Live broadcast to the media library of the Academy of Art and Design Basel, Freilager-Platz 1, Münchenstein, 8th floor

From Design to Solidarity

Artistic practices in crisis regions face challenging questions. In this series of discussions, various actors come together to reflect on their experiences. The first guest in this new round is the publishing collective Xaraxura, a community space and independent publisher based in Tbilisi.

How can design and its aesthetics shift perspectives and offer a critical view of existing power structures? Does design shape reality, or does reality shape design? Is every design political? And if yes, what responsibilities do designers carry? And how do new visual languages emerge through collaboration, ones that account for friendship, solidarity, and resistance? This conversation with the Xaraxura collective from Tbilisi, Georgia, explores design as a collective practice and asks how forms of community publishing not only communicate knowledge, but actively co-produce it.

Xaraxura will join the conversation online.

Spontaneous participation on site is always possible. Online participation is possible with prior registration. Free entry. The event will be held in English. 

For the event on 16. September 2026, please register here!

This event is part of a monthly series that is organised by the CAP, a joint initiative of artasfoundation and the ZHdK in cooperation with Theater Gessnerallee 
Here you can subscribe to the current programme of Art in Conflict and stay up to date. 

Next Dates: 

21. October 2026, 17.30 CEST
Shifting Power Through Storytelling
with Maša Hilčišin and Tamar Yarom 

11. November 2026, 17.30 CET
„LOSING.IT.“ – Youth Share Their Stories 
with Simon Labhart and Markus Strobl and young participants of the theatre production ICH.KRIEG.DIE.KRISE

9. December 2026, 17.30 CET
Hijacked Information 
with !Mediengruppe Bitnik and Karena Avedissian

20. January 2027, 17.30 CET
Divided and Shared – Collective Writing
with Ulrike Ulrich and Sandra Hetzl

Art in Conflict – Practice #4 
Connecting Beyond Words

Workshop 16. – 18. October 2026

with Shoghakat Mlké-Galstyan (actress, dancer, art manager, co-founder of MIHR Theatre, Yerevan), co-facilitated by Rada Leu (artist, musician, theatre director, researcher) 

In this Art in Conflict – Practice we will explore body-based activities, with and without language, that can help us work together in diverse groups. Shoghakat Mlké-Galstyan will share exercises drawn from her community-based practice. At the heart of her approach are methods that foster authentic connection – between participants and across communities.

Through role-play, perspective-shifting, and collective reflection, participants will explore, question, and unpack rigid narratives. Together, we will also discuss the challenges and failures of community-based projects and reflect on what remains once we leave a community.
 

• Friday, 16. October 2026, 19.00 h – 22.00 h 
  Apéro, Zürich
• Saturday, 17. October 2026, 10.00 – 17.00 h
  ZHdK, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, 8005 Zürich
• Sunday, 18. October 2026, 10.00 – 17.00 h
  ZHdK, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, 8005 Zürich

0–95 CHF – for people with limited financial means
95 CHF – standard fee
190 CHF – support contribution (enables others to participate)
 
Please register by 21. September 2026 

Artas Community Event 2026 at Tanzhaus Zürich: Insight, exchange, movement

On Tuesday, 24. November 2026, we invite you to gain insight into our work and key topics from our practice. Meet us, discuss developments in our projects in conflict-affected regions with members of our team, share your thoughts and ideas, and connect with artists, supporters, and members of the artasfoundation community.

We invite you not only to meet, watch, listen, and engage in informal conversations, but also to take part in a short participatory dance experience led by Kilian Haselbeck and Meret Schlegel from Cie zeitSprung.

In a conversation about working with socially engaged art in fragile contexts, you will learn more about artasfoundation’s current activities and highlights from the past year.

Programme:

• 18.00 h Arrival
• 18.30 h Programme begins
               -Opening
               -Dance 
               -Conversation
• 20.00 h Exchange and aperitif
• 21.30 h End of event

Location: Tanzhaus Zürich, Wasserwerkstrasse 127a, 8005 Zürich

We kindly ask you to register by 20. November 2026. Spontaneous participation is also possible.

Registration

Frontlines of Engagement:
An Assembly on Art in a World Shaped by Conflict

10. February – 13. February 2027 at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)

Frontlines of Engagement brings together around 120 artists, researchers, peacebuilding practitioners, cultural workers, and representatives of international cooperation. Organised by artasfoundation in partnership with Artlink and the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK), the Assembly is situated at the intersection of art, peacebuilding, humanitarian action, international development, and cultural research.

At its core is the exchange of practice-based knowledge and experience. Together, participants explore the ethical, aesthetic, and political dimensions of artistic work in contexts of conflict and crisis. The Assembly provides a space for transdisciplinary encounters, collective reflection, and the development of new perspectives on the role of art in a world increasingly shaped by conflict and social shifts.