Art, history and Srebrenica
Pieter van Os in discussion with Friso Keuris and Frank Westerman, Monday 12th July 2010 (19.00 - 22.00).
On the 11th of July, it will be exactly 15 years since the fall of Srebrenica. In conjuction with the exhibition Friso Keuris: Dutchbat III, Gemak will organise an evening of film and debate on Monday 12th July (19.00 – 22.00), about the impact of Srebrenica, the influence & involvement of artists and writers, and their (and our) fascination for the so-called ‘dark pages’ in military and political history.
Pieter van Os, political correspondent for the NRC Handelsblad, will debate with photographer Friso Keuris and writer Frank Westerman about their thoughts on Srebrenica, first and foremost about political topics and artistic dilemmas, but also about the way in which Dutch history is represented and truth is depicted (think of embedded journalism, the phenomenon ‘war artist’ and the recent uproar over the article in ‘De Onderofficier’ which the Dutch Ministry of Justice refused to publish).
The evening will start at 19.00 in Gemak with the option of watching either the documentary A Cry from the Grave (Leslie Woodhead, 1999), or the film Snow (Aida Begic, 2008) before the debate commences. Both films highlight the fall of Srebrenica from different perspectives; one from a journalist’s perspective, the other from a cinematic, poetic perspective.
The discussion will then commence – after a short break – at around 20.30.
Frank Westerman (Emmen, 1964)
As a reporter for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad, Frank Westerman visited many international conflict areas. Together with his colleague Bart Rijs he wrote the book Het Zwartste Scenario (The worst-case scenario). Rijs and Westerman were the only Dutch reporters who managed to reach the beseeched Bosnian enclave Srebrenica. To reconstruct Srebrenica’s war years, they used secret VN documents and interviewed eye-witnesses, resulting in a book that reads as a thriller.
(www.frankwesterman.nl)
View of exhibition Friso Keuris: Dutchbat III (photography: Peter Couvée/Gemak)
Dutchbat III - Stephanie
Dutchbat III - Adje
