The Unsafe House (also styled The Unsafe House of Jaafar El-Hazred) is a multidisciplinary art collective and studio based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The group describes itself as avant-garde, working across geographical, aesthetic, and artistic borders. It seeks to cultivate what it terms "unsafe ideas," presenting itself as a contrast to collectives that align with political or ideological agendas. [1]
The Unsafe House was founded in 2021 following its first public exhibition at Studio The Unsafe House in Amsterdam. Co-founder Tarik Sadouma graduated cum laude from the Gerrit Rietveld Academy. His artistic practice has been shaped by his experiences in both the Netherlands and the Middle East, including Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. Prior to founding The Unsafe House, Sadouma was a founding member of the Dutch video art collective Keeping It Real Art Critics (KIRAC). A reported rupture within KIRAC emerged over creative differences regarding a film project involving French writer Michel Houellebecq. [2] [3] [4]
The collective describes itself as "a safe space for unsafe ideas," distancing itself from what it characterizes as political conformism in the arts. Its work draws on themes of ritual, allegory, and myth, blending Western and Middle Eastern imagery in compositions that incorporate fairy-tale and nightmarish elements. [5]
The Unsafe House produces installations, sculptures, paintings, performances, and audio-visual content. Its public programs have included events such as the US Election Night Watchparty, [6] as well as The Unsafe Podcast and Unsafe Talks, which feature conversations with artists, thinkers, and public figures. Notable guests include Iranian musician Mohsen Namjoo [7] and political theorist Curtis Yarvin. [8]
The Unsafe House is affiliated with the satirical series Creeps From the Middle East, starring comedian Sina Khani. The project combines fictional and documentary elements with film noir and absurdist comedy. Members of the collective appear in the series and contribute to its production. [9] [10] [11] [12]
In 2025, Curtis Yarvin and Vladislav Davidzon proposed a collaboration with The Unsafe House for the U.S. Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The project, titled Salon des Déplorables, drew inspiration from the 19th-century Salon des Refusés and aimed to challenge perceived ideological orthodoxy in contemporary art institutions. The exhibition concept centered on Titian’s The Rape of Europa , proposing to feature the original painting or a replica (potentially created using AI or forgery techniques) to explore themes of cultural identity and Western civilization. [13] [14] [15] [16]
The Ukrainian-American journalist Vladislav Davidzon is a core member of the collective. [17]
Critical reception of The Unsafe House has been mixed. The collective has been praised for its interdisciplinary experimentation, while others have raised concerns about the political implications of its collaborations and projects. Hyperallergic criticized Yarvin’s Venice Biennale proposal, suggesting it illustrates limitations in far-right cultural production. [18] Further commentary has appeared in publications including Artforum, Spike Art Magazine, and ARTnews. [19] [20]
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