Evil, Suffering and Hope: Art and Poetry Exhibition

Location
Westmere House - Birmingham B15 2RA - G15 on the campus Map
Dates
Thursday 1 December 2022 (15:00-18:00)
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The theme of this exhibition event is Evil, Suffering, and Hope. The theme is especially relevant during a time when many of us have experienced some form of adversity. The pandemic seems an obvious candidate that has impacted us all in some way.

While the persistence of genocide, occupation, and war throughout the world makes us extremely distraught. The effects of climate change to our daily lives are also becoming increasingly apparent. Religious traditions tend to play a significant role in how we might exercise the concept of hope in the face of such adversities. This may help us physically cope and navigate through such difficult times. It may also help provide a philosophical response and shape our understanding of such matters. We believe that the expressive power of artwork and poetry can embody religious perspectives of hope in responding to the philosophical problem of evil and suffering. We are thus seeking artists and poets to submit work that explores this theme in innovative ways. A brief introduction to the problem of evil from various traditions can be found at the Global Philosophy of Religion project website.

What is this event about?  

This exhibition event showcases an engagement between artwork, poetry, and philosophy. It aims to explore how the concept of hope is used by diverse religious traditions in responding to the philosophical problem of evil and suffering. It invites artists and poets to exhibit their work that is representative of this. The event will include talks and a panel discussion by philosophers from three religious traditions. It will also involve an exhibition of artwork and presentations of selected poems.

The following will be participating in the event:

Philosophers

  • Dr Marie-Helene Gorisse - University of Birmingham (Jain Philosophy)
  • Dr Joanna Leidenhag - University of Leeds (Christian Philosophy)
  • Dr Tubanur Yesilhark Ozkan - International Foundation for Muslim Theology (Islamic Philosophy)

 

Artists 

  •  Maria Cantoni
  • Luke King Salter
  • Shaista Chishty

Poets

  • Nabila Jameel
  • Tom Proverbs-Garbett
  • Paul Abdul Wadud Sutherland

Monologue Performance

  • Ehsanul Quader Khan 

Call for artists and poets

This event includes free entry and refreshments