On art and friendship

Friendship is precious. But it is often neglected in intellectual life despite its unique and meaningful ability to connect us. Friendship brings the joy of connection through shared moments, whether in dialogue, or in a silent smile exchanged between us.

Join us for a special in-conversation event hosted by Nikos Papastergiadis, with Behrouz Boochani and Arnold Zable, where they contemplate their own friendship, discussing its profound impact upon them, felt in both ordinary and extraordinary ways, across borders, time and personal histories. 

Signed books will be available to purchase from Eltham Bookshop on the night.

Supported by the Macgeorge Bequest, and hosted by the School of Social and Political Sciences in the Faculty of Arts, and the Peter McMullin Centre on Statelessness at Melbourne Law School.

Behrouz Boochani is a an internationally renowned, Kurdish-Iranian writer, journalist, scholar, cultural advocate and filmmaker, and public advocate for human rights. He holds positions as Adjunct Associate Professor in Social Sciences at the University of New South Wales, and as Visiting Professor at Birkbeck Law School. He was held as a political prisoner by the Australian government in Papua New Guinea for more than six years. His book No Friend but the Mountains: Writing From Manus Prison (2018) has received numerous awards including the 2019 Victorian Prize for Literature.

Arnold Zable is an acclaimed writer, novelist and human rights activist, and the recipient of the 2021 Australia Council Award for Lifetime Achievement in Literature. His books include Jewels and Ashes, Café Scheherazade, Scraps of Heaven, Sea of Many Returns, The Fig Tree, Violin Lessons, The Fighter and The Watermill. Arnold first connected with Behrouz in 2014 when he was imprisoned on Manus Island, and their friendship has evolved across borders and in person ever since.

Nikos Papastergiadis is the former Director of the Research Unit in Public Cultures at the University of Melbourne. He is the author of numerous publications, as well as essays which have been translated into over a dozen languages and appeared in major catalogues such as the Biennales of Sydney, Liverpool, Istanbul, Gwanju, Taipei, Lyon, Thessaloniki and Documenta 13. His most recent book, John Berger and Me: A Migrant’s Eye, was published in 2024.