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Art in Conflict Discussion Series 
Gessnerallee Zurich

Wednesday, 10. June 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

Belonging, Loss, and the Language of Art

with Vida Rucli (Architect, Cultural Practitioner, Robida Collective), joining online, and Fazil On Yu (Dancer, Choreographer, Activist, and Performance Artist), joining on site

What can art achieve in regions affected by crisis? How do artists engage in fostering human connections and peaceful conflict transformation, and what are the indispensable conditions for this? The Art in Conflict series explores fundamental questions of international peacebuilding through dialogues with practitioners and scholars from diverse disciplines and backgrounds.
In the format of roundtable conversations, with two guests at a time, the series addresses specific topics in this field, drawing on both practical experiences and theoretical reflections. The discussions are moderated by the team of artasfoundation, the Swiss foundation for art in conflict regions, which has been initiating and organising art projects since 2012.

Vida Rucli is a member of the interdisciplinary Robida Collective, which belongs to the Slovenian minority in Italy and is active in the border village of Topolò/Topolove. She and Fazil On Yu, a performance artist born in Uganda and now based in Switzerland, engage in a conversation on belonging, loss, and history. It's not only about dialogue between people but also about engaging with places, landscapes, and memories. In a world shaped by migration, multilingualism, and colonial legacies, how can open conversations be fostered? And what role can the art play in creating new spaces for listening and understanding?

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 10. June 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 round of dates will be announced here in June 2026. 

New programme: Art in Conflict Discussion Series

This autumn 2026, Art in Conflict returns to Gessnerallee Zurich with a rich programme, featuring guests from our regions of focus, Georgia and Armenia, as well as voices that are often missing from public debates: For the first time, young people will take part as experts on the panel, speaking about growing up in a time of war, crisis, and increasing political and social polarisation.

Together, we will discuss design as a political practice, film as a medium of memory and storytelling, and literature as a collective form of working and connecting. At the centre are artistic strategies that make power structures visible, challenge dominant narratives, and create spaces for solidarity.

The urgent issues of war and militarisation run through several of the conversations, as does the question of how we, as cultural workers, can position ourselves and take action in a time of global crises.

Sign up for the Art in Conflict newsletter here to receive the monthly invitations.
 

Living Room – A Space for Artists, Organisations and Communities

The Living Room is a connecting space for displaced communities from Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian artists and international artists and cultural workers collaborating in varied social and artistic forms. 

Besides the activities organised by artasfoundation, the space will also host other projects that simply need a space to work. The physical space is accessible for artists, organisations and communities involved in social transformation and looking for a space to practice, rehearse, gather, exchange, perform or simply meet. 

Submit a request for booking the space