Ahmad Antarat is a musician, DJ, visual artist and event organizer. Ahmad associates the Ruhr region with diversity, both in terms of cities and people. Through his work as an artist and cultural operator, Ahmad also wants to bring a diverse range of people together.
Name: Ahmad Antarat / Can / M.I.CANKY / Anta.Can
Age: 28
Place of birth/place of residence: Syria (Rojava) / Witten
Profession: Musician / DJ / Visual Artist / Event manager
Links: https://karmakind.band, https://soundcloud.com/antacan, https://instagram.com/karmakind.music?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==, https://instagram.com/m.i.canky?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==, https://instagram.com/can.canoo?igshid=OGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA==
How would you describe yourself and your work to an alien?
I am a person full of stories and I want to tell them, but I don't only use words. I am someone who tries to touch all the senses of people emotionally, through my sounds, through my images, through my stories. I allow whatever arises in me flow through my musical tools and want to bring people together.
What drives you to create art?
I would burst otherwise. I have so many ideas inside me that want to get out. Art is very therapeutic for me, I process my experiences this way and share them with others. A lot of things that would otherwise just cause chaos inside me find a place this way, can be channeled and find expression. But I also have a political drive, I want to name the circumstances that I criticize and perhaps also make them more visible. But even before I actively made art myself, it was always something that brought people together and created community. That's also what I see my own art doing.
What do you love most about the Ruhr region in general?
The diversity and different lives that come together here. The Ruhr region is so colorful and so rich in perspectives. Also the honesty and directness of the people here.
Three places in the Ruhr region that you definitely show visitors:
Hof Bergmann, the Hardenstein castle ruins with the Muttental around it and the Kortländer district in Bochum.
Credits: Aedamic
What makes the art and culture scene here so special?
The diversity. People from different cultural backgrounds and scenes interact here and form a very special mix. Many different cities are so close to each other that there is room for many variations.
Where can you feel the Metropole of the Arts here?
In the many small places that are spread across the Ruhr region and create a network of art scenes. Every day you could find something that appeals to you in a different city.
Where/when did you have your best cultural experience?
Just recently my band Karmakind had a gig at Schlegel Kultur Club and there were so many people singing along to our songs in Arabic and Kurdish. The energy in the room was incredibly intense and jumped back and forth between the stage and the audience.
Where do you like to eat & drink?
Heiße Fatira in Bochum and drinking in the Raum Cafe in Witten.
The best parties are in...
Places where people decide to put a lot of work and love into creating a space from scratch and where everyone treats each other with awareness and consideration.
If the Ruhr region was a song, this is what it would sound like:
The song Samra Samra by my band Karmakind, which I wrote about home.
What is your next project?
I've started producing and I'm very happy that my first two tracks will soon be released under my personas M.I.CANKY and Anta.Can.
