Climate protection and climate justice are closely interwoven with social and cultural developments worldwide. The Friedrich Ebert Foundation is thus seeking to strengthen the dialogue and understanding among all those involved in this area. In times of socio-economic transformation and fundamentally perceived changes, cultural work has a meaningful and identity-shaping role.  The project "Mishkal - Kaleidoscope I Promoting Environmental Awareness through Art" promotes a nuanced cultural dialogue between artists from Germany and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Ten women artists from these countries have jointly developed works of art on the topics of environmental awareness, climate justice, ecological sustainability and climate action and are presenting their art and their inspiration to an eager audience during the COP28 World Climate Conference in Dubai. Through their art, they are seeking to illustrate how social change toward greater sustainability can be made possible together. In that context, they will address the core themes of “nostalgia and solastalgia*,” “reality and utopia” and “in-between.”

Through the kaleidoscope of art, this event seeks to contribute to a mutual understanding of the challenges that lie ahead and to the development and expansion of the dialogues and networks for action between cultural professionals from the Gulf States and Germany.

Shortly before the opening, we asked Dr. Magdalena Kirchner heads the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's office for Yemen, based in Amman and she is director of the “Mishkal Kaleidoscope” project, five questions:

How did this exhibition get started?

The project, which, in addition to the exhibition, is primarily aimed at promoting exchange between artists from Germany and the Gulf States, was created in early summer in preparation for the COP28 World Climate Conference, at which FES is also represented in other capacities. At the same time, in the context of the deepening of political and economic relations between Germany and the Gulf States, we also wanted to create opportunities for exchange at a civil society and cultural level – especially on an issue that engages people on both sides.

What is the reason for only including women in the exhibit here? What was your selection criteria?

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by human-caused climate change, especially in the countries of the Global South. Their economic and social foundations are under greater threat, while at the same time, they are also underrepresented in decision-making processes and benefit less from the financial and economic instruments of the energy transition. The fact that exclusively women artists took part in the project in the end is really just coincidental. We had only specified that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) should be represented alongside Germany and that the participants should come from the field of visual arts.

Right next door on the COP28 grounds, representatives from business, trade unions and organizations are gathering to negotiate and exchange ideas on the search for solutions to the climate crisis. What influence does art have on them? What is special about this exhibition?

There will be quite a bit of art on display at COP28 itself, in addition to actions by artists to draw attention to the situation of vulnerable groups, such as indigenous peoples or climate refugees.

The special thing about this exhibition, however, is that it is both open to the public and functions as a project that provides a meeting place for women artists from Germany and the Gulf region, while at the same time providing the artists with maximum artistic freedom – which otherwise would not have been possible at COP28.

Questions of sustainability and ecological challenges are highly topical. Do the artists find the answers to these questions in their art, or is it more a case of them asking (us) the right questions?

We deliberately left this up to the artists themselves and we can see that they answer this question very differently. Some focus on the fundamental confrontation with climate change and its effects, which can be traumatizing – if you look at the destruction of the environment, for example. Others call for concrete action and view their art – through the use of sustainable materials, for example – as part of the answer.

Is the exhibition taking place exclusively in Dubai, or will we have the chance to see it elsewhere as well?

The artworks were created specifically for COP28 and will therefore only be exhibited together in Dubai for the time being. We are also working on a video documentary, which will be shown through FES media channels. The artists have really grown together as a community over the last few months, and because it is an issue that will continue to occupy us, I am sure that we will see a lot more from them.

Interview conducted by Zina Arvanitidou.

From German by Charles Hawley

*Solastalgia refers to a feeling of loss, grief and the emotional distress experienced when environmental changes or destruction occur in a familiar living environment (source: Federal Environment Agency).