Framer Framed

27 Oct –
26 Jan 2025

Exhibition: The Anarchist Citizenship – People Made of Stories

The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories exhibition, from 27 October 2024 to 26 January 2025 at Framer Framed, examines how storytelling, visual culture, architecture and social life (re)shape citizenship in Somaliland, the Somali region and its diaspora. It is the result of a collaborative research project initiated by Amal Alhaag and Nadine Stijns, along with Mustafa Saeed and various other artists, thinkers, architects, and activists based in Somaliland/Somalia and its diasporas. The exhibition opens on 26 October 2024 at 18:00.

How can we avoid, refuse, or obscure the colonial gaze and create images challenging the status quo? What power dynamics are at play when capturing an image, and what does it take to create images that celebrate the multiplicity of identities and experiences that sustain cultures in times of ongoing crises? These sets of questions animate The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories exhibition by exploring the possibilities of visual narratives, imagination and self-determination. The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories is informed by both local and diasporic visual culture and offers an alternative approach to understanding, broadcasting to/with/from as well as engaging with the world. By placing the agency of the people of Somali(land) at the centre of the narrative, it attempts to challenge the Eurocentric, (neo)colonial and imperialist hierarchies of who gets to document, write, and think about whom.

For this iteration of The Anarchist Citizenship, we invite Somali (diasporic) artists navigating the waters of cultural production, histories, war traumas, (diasporic) lifeworlds and possible futures. This exhibition is a holding space for visual, sonic, and poetic stories taking the form of installations, film screenings, poetry programmes, photography, archives, workshops, textiles and dialogic spaces.

Within this context, the spatial design takes on a crucial role – the exhibition design serves as an intermediary between the different artistic positions. It mirrors the provocative visual language, vibrant cosmos, aesthetic sensibilities and storytelling that define contemporary Somaliland – zooming into specifically its capital city, Hargeisa. The presented works reflect the collective efforts of those who participate in its creation, weaving together stories, histories, and language to create visual narratives that celebrate the complexities of citizenship in this region.

Together with collaborators and contributors Kinsi Abdulleh, Rashid Ali, Abdullah Barre, Salman Dirir, Sumia Juxun, Elmi Original, Mustafa Saeed and The Somali Museum UK, Amal Alhaag and Nadine Stijns will present a special The Anarchist Citizenship programme. Consisting of a visual installation, a screening and public gatherings that explore the complexities and joys of Somali social life, memory work and the ways communities create alternative ways of being together as survival strategies.

About

The Anarchist Citizenship is an ongoing research-based project that reflects on contemporary visual and oral culture in Somaliland. It was initiated in 2016 by curator Amal Alhaag and artist Nadine Stijns and developed in collaboration with Somali artists such as Mustafa Saeed, along with other thinkers, architects and activists. Over the years, The Anarchist Citizenship has taken on different forms. It is a space for collaboration with/between local and diasporic artists, filmmakers, architects, and designers to explore how Somali(landers) define citizenship and shape identity through visual culture.

Contributors
Mustafa Saeed
Kinsi Abdulleh
Rashid Ali
Abdullah Barre
Salman Dirir
Sihaam Hussein
Sumia Juxun
Elmi Original
The Somali Museum, UK

Location
Framer Framed
Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71
1093 KS, Amsterdam

Opening
Saturday 26 October 2024

Opening times
27 Oct – 26 Jan
Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00-18:00

Free entry, donations at the door are appreciated

Credits

Framer Framed is supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Amsterdam Fund for the Arts; Municipality of Amsterdam; and VriendenLoterij Fonds. 

Attachments

• The Anarchist Citizenship - Hand Out Poster

Agenda

Network

Sihaam Hussein

Artist

Rashid Ali

Architect

Salman Dirir

Artist, Filmmaker

Sumia Juxun

Poet

Elmi Original

Artist, Musician

Abdullah Barre

Artist

Mustafa Saeed

Artist

Amal Alhaag

Curator