Activities - Teja

The talks, exhibitions, meals, concerts, and readings organized by TEJA and in collaboration with different spaces and institutions are a key element of the experience for the creators participating in the residencies. They also serve as spaces for dialogue, ensuring freedom of expression regarding the conflicts or emergency situations faced by the creators in residence or those affecting the territories they come from.

Meeting

29 Nov 25

Meeting in solidarity with the Palestinian people

On November 29th, we gathered for a collective act of remembrance, resistance, and solidarity with cultural workers from L’Internationale, colleagues from the TEJA network, and allies from across the cultural ecosystem. We joined the voices rising up from cities around the world, filled with rage, sadness, and indignation, demanding an end to the genocide. We reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to peace, justice, and existence in their territory, and we firmly opposed the international impunity that sustains this violence.

Every day we reaffirm the importance of the cultural sector not remaining silent: our institutions, our practices, and our bodies are also spaces of political resistance. We will continue creating, denouncing, and organizing until Palestinian freedom and dignity become a reality.

Meeting Talks

27 Nov 25

TEJA’s participation in “art beyond fire”

We participated in “Art Beyond Fire: Encounters on Art and Risk,” organized by Moving Artists in Bilbao. The program brought together artists, researchers, and cultural agents from within and outside Spain to discuss the role of art in contexts of violence.

We took part in the discussion “Does Art Make Sense in Times of Conflict?” alongside Ixone Sádaba, Manuela Otero, and Marie Le Sourd. The day continued with a conversation between our artist-in-residence, Shaima Sheikh Ali, and the Kurdish artist Tara Abdullah, where they shared their experiences creating from vulnerability and resistance.

The event opened a space to reflect on the political power of voice, memory, and creation: how art continues to be a place of dialogue and hope in the face of barbarity.

Workshops

25 Nov 25

Workshop by artist-in-residence Sabreen Haj Ahmad at La Casa Encendida

Artist-in-residence Sabreen Haj Ahmad led a workshop at La Casa Encendida focused on her research into the sustainable relationship between humans and nature. Through the story of Siena, a lamb who guides children through the tradition of transhumance, participants learned about local edible plants and the role of seasonal migration in biodiversity. The workshop combined reading the story with a creative activity in which they designed the book’s cover, connecting imagination, knowledge of Mediterranean wild plants, and the value of traditional practices.

Workshops

21 Nov 25

Workshop of the artist in residence Shaima Sheikh Ali

Our artist-in-residence, Shaima Sheikh Ali, organized a workshop conceived as a social experiment, inviting participants to share their personal reflections and creative responses to the idea of censorship. Through this workshop, she sought to combine her own perspective with that of the Basque public, generating a dialogue that transcends cultural and social contexts.

The participants’ reflections and artistic contributions will form part of Shaima’s final installation in Bilbao, integrating with her own works and vision to create a collective proposal enriched by diverse perspectives.

Meeting

18 Nov 25

Visit to La Escocesa in Barcelona

We had the opportunity to take our artists-in-residence, Sabreen Haj Ahmad and Shaima Sheikh Ali, to La Escocesa and introduce them to other members of our network. La Escocesa, our first member in Barcelona, is a public center for contemporary art residencies and production, collectively managed by the Associació d’Idees EMA. Its work focuses on supporting artists and cultural agents at all stages of their careers, offering studios and workshops for over 30 residents, as well as a free public program that includes events, training, and open calls.

Meeting

18 Nov 25

Visit to Jiser

We were in Barcelona with our Palestinian artists in residence, Shaima Sheikh Ali and Sabreen Haj Ahmad, and had the opportunity to visit Jiser. This is an organization that uses art as a tool for social transformation in the Mediterranean, promoting artistic creation, intercultural dialogue, and the strengthening of independent cultural spaces through international networks. During the visit, the artists learned about the organization’s projects, shared their experiences, made new contacts, and, as a network, we explored potential collaborations to strengthen TEJA’s Catalan node.

Meeting Presentations

13 Nov 25

Assembly “the past and the present” in Barcelona

We were invited to participate in the assemblies of The Past and The Present at L’Internationale. On this occasion, we had the opportunity to open the meeting and present TEJA to colleagues and like-minded European organizations, as well as share the work of our artist-in-residence, Shaima Shiekh Ali. During these days, curators, researchers, artists, and activists engaged in dialogue about a present marked by the rise of new forms of fascism and the complicity of the Global North in the genocide of the Palestinian people. We immersed ourselves in profound conversations to imagine forms of autonomy from the grassroots: within, against, and beyond institutions. It was a space of listening, care, and collaboration that reaffirmed that other ways of creating culture are possible when we build thought and struggle collectively.

Meeting

12 Nov 25

Breakfast with AECID

On Wednesday, November 12th, we shared breakfast with the team from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), a meeting filled with dialogue and exchange.

We had the opportunity to introduce our three artists in residence, learn more about their creative processes and personal contexts, and share the TEJA philosophy. We also discussed the challenges and opportunities of the program and explored possible avenues for future collaboration.

Meeting

12 Nov 25

Meeting at La Casa Encendida

In November, the TEJA team met in Madrid with our three Palestinian artists in residence. We had the pleasure of visiting La Casa Encendida, where the team gave us a tour of their facilities and presented their work, the programs they promote, and the importance of the space as a meeting point for contemporary culture. The day culminated in a lunch where the residents were able to meet with some of the TEJA member spaces and share experiences.

Meeting Presentations

11 Nov 25

Meeting between our artists in residence and the TBA21 team

On Tuesday, November 11th, we met with the TBA21 team, where our three Palestinian artists in residence, Darina Jabr, Sabreen Haj Ahmad, and Shaima Shiek Ali, presented their portfolios and shared their experiences, processes, and projects.

It was a space for dialogue and connection, where themes of memory, territory, identity, and resilience were explored, generating a profound conversation about how art can act as a common language in the face of distance and loss.

Exhibitions

08 Nov 25

Darina Jabr performance at Espacio Rojo

On November 8th, our artist-in-residence, Darina Jabr, presented a performative lecture at Espacio Rojo exploring the memory and migration of the Palestinian people. “Using the Threads of Time” is a piece that intertwines narrative, weaving, and collective participation, where, through gestures, voices, and materials, Darina weaves personal and collective stories.

Following the presentation, the audience was invited to move, listen, and become part of a living tapestry of memories, borders, and belonging. At the end, the discussion opened up, creating a shared space for reflection where movement, migration, and memory intertwined in the experiences of those who participated.

Meeting

06 Nov 25

Cross-studio visit between artist Pablo Linsambarth and our Palestinian resident Sabreen Haj Ahmad

On Thursday, November 6th, we held a collaborative studio visit between Chilean artist Pablo Linsambart at Mala Fama Estudios and our Palestinian resident artist Sabreen Haj Ahmad at Nave Oporto.

These encounters are essential for fostering dialogue between artists, sharing experiences from diverse contexts, and reflecting on the common intentions, sensibilities, and resonances that permeate their practices.

Meeting

06 Nov 25

session of artistic criticism and feedback

Our artists-in-residence Darina Jabr and Sabreen Haj Ahmad visited the Institute for Postnatural Studies to participate in an art critique and feedback session.

During the meeting, artist and architect Jawaad Issoop, originally from Mauritius and a participant in the international residency GASP – Global African Sitting Practices, shared his project Intra-Architectures: Stories of Being-with and Survivability.

Presentations

29 Oct 25

Presentation of the portfolios of Darina Jabr, Sabreen Haj Ahmad and Shaima Shiekh Ali to the MNCARS team

On October 29th, our artists in residence Darina Jabr, Sabreen Haj Ahmad and Shaima Sheikh Ali presented their portfolios and the projects they are working on to the Reina Sofía Museum team.

29 Oct 25

Visit with the Tentacular Museum team at the Reina Sofía Museum

The Tentacular Museum proposes an institutional approach committed to its social, political, and cultural environment, weaving collaborative networks that expand the museum’s role beyond art and connect it with contemporary movements and realities.

During the visit, in addition to exploring some of the exhibitions, we went to Guernica for a shared reading and reflection on the different historical moments in Spain and Palestine.