New art against war by Manaf Halbouni in Dresden

The German-Syrian artist Manaf Halbouni has turned his exploration of the themes of war, persecution, flight and migration into another work of art. The installation "Nowhere is Home" - a small car packed with belongings and transformed into a living space - will be on display in the foyer of Dresden's Kulturpalast until the end of April. "The context is still relevant," he said on Wednesday at the presentation of his work. War, from which people fled, and displacement have always existed. However, due to changes in media coverage and images circulating on the Internet, this is more visible today, "they are getting closer and closer to us".

In the context of the city's commemoration of its destruction in the Second World War on 13 February, the work is intended to draw attention to the causes of flight "and raise awareness for peace and democracy", said Dresden's Mayor of Culture Annekatrin Klepsch (Left Party). "Danger to life, displacement and flight are the bitterest reality for many people," said Philharmonie director Frauke Roth, who invited Halbouni to perform his work. The artist hopes that it will get people talking about this suffering, with each other and also with him. "You can leave notes with messages on the car."

Halbouni, born in Damascus in 1984, had already caused controversy in February 2017 with an artwork on the refugee crisis in Dresden. His "monument" of three scrap metal buses standing vertically on their rear was intended as a memorial against war and terror to three buses set up in Aleppo to protect against snipers. There had already been riots and disturbances at the inauguration by supporters of the xenophobic Pegida alliance, and there were verbal attacks against the mayor on the internet at the time - including death threats.

Halbouni left his native Syria in 2008, was then a master student of Eberhard Bosslet at the Dresden Art Academy and his works have been on display in exhibitions since 2013. He is currently a fellow at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome. Instead of talking about a path to peace, people are currently only talking about war, he criticized. There is a lack of people "who are officially committed to a peace initiative and don't just say you can't discuss it" in order to find a solution. "That's wrong."