What is De Levante?
A different view of the Orient
Since June 2006, there is a place in Amsterdam where you will not only find a wealth of knowledge about the modern oriental world, but where you can also experience the cultures of that world and see its artistic expressions. De Levante, on the Museumplein across from the Rijksmuseum. De Levante provides a unique contribution to the cultural exchanges between the Netherlands and the Oriental world in the arts, education and enterprise.
The Oriental world encompasses the part of North Africa and the Middle East which shares a common history and culture, regardless of their great diversity, through the influence of the Persian Empire, the Phoenicians, the Eastern Roman empire, the Ottoman empire, the Arab empire and European colonialism. From Morocco to Turkey and Iran, the area covers twenty-one countries and their diaspora in Europe: Algeria, Bahrain, Cyprus, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
De Levante originated from the desire to provide a more complete, realistic picture of this Oriental world, and new insights into these cultures that are often spoken of, but very little known. This makes De Levante the only institution looking to provide a permanent platform for contemporary art and culture of the Oriental world. De Levante started developing her activities from a platform to perform as a bridge between East and West and aims to expand to an international institute, fitting with the traditional position of Amsterdam as a pioneer on the international cultural scene.
In the short time since De Levante opened her doors there have been a great variety of activities, from music and debates with youth centres to exhibitions and European Union projects, from Iranian jewellery and Moroccan visual art to the progression of artists to international museums like The Museum of Modern Art (Beijing) or the Station Museum (Houston). De Levante has accepted the challenge to shake up the prejudiced ideas about the Oriental world and invites spectators to form or adapt their own opinion, and so far it has succeeded.
And what the visitor does not see, but might suspect, is the wealth of expertise about Oriental cultures to which De Levante has the key. Also, in view of its network, De Levante sees a task for itself as mediator between ‘people over here' and ‘people over there'. Not only in the arts, but also in various other areas of education and business between the Netherlands and the Oriental world, where people deal with each others' cultures. Thanks to the diverse composition of board, directors and staff, De Levante is able to translate these cultures into each other.
De Levante has grown into a gallery, a podium and a centre of expertise, and is also of great importance as a meeting place for the bi-culturals and others with a warm interest in Oriental cultures. It plays an important part in providing new insights, challenging old ideas, and raising pride.
How many modern artists from the Oriental world do you know? Do you have any idea what moves artists from and in the Orient? When you hear the word 'Orient', do you think of ultramodern, critical artists, intellectuals, feminists, Oriental jazz and super trendy shopping centres? Are you aware of the great diversity within those countries? This is where De Levante shows the way.
What started some years ago at the initiative of two inhabitants of Amsterdam who recognized the call for a cultural platform in the Netherlands, is slowly developing into an institution that fulfils the desires and demands of a society in which people with Western, Oriental and mixed cultural backgrounds live together.