Book Launch Event: "STRANGERS"

Please join us for the launch event of award-winning journalist and writer Ismail Einashe's book "Look Again: Strangers" by Tate Publishing. In the book, Einashe explores migration stories through the lens of art, using the works of renowned artists like Tania Bruguera, who will be part of the event, Arshile Gorky, and Mona Hatoum to provide profound insights into the struggles of individuals seeking refuge in strange lands. 

The event, inspired by the themes of 'Strangers,’  will delve into the profound influence of art in transforming the narrative around migration. The main focus of the panel discussion will be on the relationship between art, trauma and migration to reshape our perception of 'strangers.' The panelists will discuss the need to move away from the often negative and stereotypical portrayal of migrants in media and politics, and instead emphasize their humanity. As Einashe argues in 'Strangers,’ art has the potential to fill the gaps where politics and media have failed and allow us to see the migrant experience through a more humane and ethical lens. By showcasing the power of art, we can acknowledge the personhood of migrants and refugees and recognize the potential of their stories.

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Ismail Einashe is an award-winning journalist and writer. His work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC News, The Sunday Times, Foreign Policy, The New York Times, Frieze, ArtReview, and The Nation, among many others. He's especially recognised for his coverage of migration and refugee issues, for which he has won multiple awards. He is the author of "Look Again: Strangers" (2023), a book by Tate Publishing that explores migration through the lens of art. He co-edited the book "Lost in Media: Migrant Perspectives and the Public Sphere," (2019), which focuses on the representation of migrants in European media. This volume includes essays from renowned authors like Aleksandar Hemon, Ece Temelkuran, and Daniel Trilling. Ismail is part of Lost in Europe, a cross-border journalism project investigating child migrant disappearances in Europe. As an Alicia Patterson Foundation Fellow in 2019, Ismail reported on China's involvement in Africa, focusing on Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Zambia. He is also an Ochberg Fellow and an associate trainer at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. He serves on the editorial board of Tate Etc., the magazine of the Tate Galleries.

 

 

Tania Bruguera is a political performance artist who explores the relationship between art, activism, social change, and political and economic power. Born and raised in Havana, several of her exhibitions have interrogated and “re-presented” events in Cuban history. Tania explores both the promise and failings of the Cuban Revolution through performances that provoke viewers to consider political realities masked by government propaganda and mass-media interpretation. In 2011, Tania started Immigrant Movement International, a multi-part artwork that will ran through 2015. She spent a year living in a small apartment in Corona, Queens, with five undocumented immigrants and their children. Engaging both local and international communities, as well as working with social service organizations, elected officials, and artists focused on immigration reform, Tania examined growing concerns about the political representation and conditions facing immigrants. As part of the work, Tania launched an Immigrant Respect Awareness Campaign and an international day of actions on December 18, 2011, which the UN designated as International Migrants Day.

Kate Porterfield PhD, is a consulting clinical psychologist at the Bellevue Hospital Program for Survivors of Torture in New York City. Dr. Porterfield has provided clinical care to adults, adolescents and children who have experienced war and refugee trauma and torture for over 20 years. She regularly consults on issues pertaining to trauma, including in cases at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center, US courts, and the International Criminal Court and with journalists and human rights organizations. Dr. Porterfield is a founding staff member of a the Journalist Trauma Support Network, an initiative at the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University. Dr. Porterfield regularly teaches and works with groups around issues of wellbeing, stress management and team communication. She trained with and continues to teach at the legendary Second City improvisational theater.

 

​Bruce Shapiro is Executive Director of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma, a project of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism encouraging innovative reporting on violence, conflict and tragedy worldwide. An award-winning reporter on human rights, criminal justice and politics, Shapiro is a contributing editor at The Nation and U.S. correspondent for Late Night Live on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Radio National. He is Adjunct Professor and Senior Advisor for Academic Affairs at Columbia, where he teaches journalism ethics. His books include Shaking the Foundations: 200 Years of Investigative Journalism in America and Legal Lynching: The Death Penalty and America's Future. Shapiro is recipient of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Public Advocacy Award for "outstanding and fundamental contributions to the social understanding of trauma." He is a founding board member of the Global Investigative Journalism Network.

 

 

 

 

Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing at the event.

The event will be held from 12:30-2:00pm EST at Columbia Journalism School. Doors will open at 12:00pm EST