SITTARD, THE NETHERLANDS.-Museum Het Domein presents GuestRoom #5, on view through March 11, 2007. GuestRoom is a series of presentations in Het Domein in which art institutions will be given an opportunity to present themselves in original ways. GuestRoom #5 is a presentation of the Prince Claus Fund. The Prince Claus Fund, founded in 1996 as thanks for Prince Claus’ significant contribution to development cooperation, realizes activities and publications that contribute to promoting exchange between culture and development. The fund primarily operates in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

The director of the Prince Claus Fund, Els van der Plas, is the guest curator of GuestRoom #5. Her presentation will focus on the Prince Claus Fund theme for 2007, ‘Culture and Conflict’. The theme investigates how culture can play a positive part in resolving conflicts and be of help towards trauma recovery. There is also recognition of the fact that culture can also be the cause of conflicts. People from non-western countries who are active in this sphere of interest in 2007 can be nominated for the renowned Prince Claus Awards.

The Prince Claus Fund aims to give artists from non-western countries an international platform to offer new opportunities, recognition, and to stimulate the development of their artistic practice. GuestRoom#5 will present work by the Afghan artist Lida Abdul, one of the winners of the Prince Claus Awards 2006, alongside Colombian artist Fernando Arias and Palestinian photographer Rula Halawani, who received financial support from the Prince Claus Fund. The presentation will also discuss the Cultural Emergency Response (CER), the fund’s so-called Red Cross for culture. The CER provides cultural emergency assistance by activities such as helping to save the collection of a museum in a war zone.