UNESCO Lecture
8 December, 2023 15:30 - 16:30
On Friday 8 December, between 15:30 and 16:30 hrs, come to the Kunsthal to attend a special event celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On the occasion of both this anniversary and the exhibition In Search of Humanity by the artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, the Kunsthal will be presenting an afternoon programme featuring interesting speakers and personal stories in collaboration with the Dutch UNESCO Commission. The event’s main focus will be the importance of freedom of speech and expression. The talks will be Dutch spoken.
Get inspired by Yvonne Donders, Professor of International Human Rights and Cultural Diversity at the University of Amsterdam and member of the UN Human Rights Committee. Or by Wim Geerts, Human Rights Ambassador at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who will be reflecting on his time as the Dutch ambassador to China. In addition, there will be a recitation by Gershwin Bonevacia, former city poet of Amsterdam.
WHAT
Programme on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
WHEN
Friday 8 december
• from 10:00 hrs: Kunsthal opens, opportunity to visit the exhibition Ai Weiwei. In Search of Humanity independently
• from 15:30 hrs 16:30 hrs: programme (in Dutch) in the Auditorium
ADMISSION AND SIGNING UP
Attending the lectures is free of charge upon presentation of a valid Kunsthal admission ticket. But do please sign up via the ticket link below.
IN SEARCH OF HUMANITY
Kunsthal Rotterdam is presenting a large-scale exhibition by one of today’s most prominent artists, human rights activists, and critics of authoritarian power systems: Ai Weiwei. In Search of Humanity is his most extensive retrospective exhibition to date. The Kunsthal is offering an impressive overview of Ai Weiwei’s career, spanning over four decades and featuring paintings, cultural readymades, LEGO works, sculptures, installations, photography, and video art. It includes important works from all his creative phases.
artist and human rights activist
This must-see exhibition offers an insight into the life of the world-famous Chinese artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei, including his youth spent in exile as a result of the Cultural Revolution, the suppressed student protests in Beijing, and his imprisonment in 2011. Ai’s artworks reveal his quest for a better world. The artist interprets the intimidation methods used by the Chinese government, calls for freedom, wars, and the current worldwide refugee crises , as incentives for us all to take responsibility and action whenever freedom of speech and human rights are under threat.