Past Disquiet 27 Feb 2025
19:00 - 21:00
Opening: Past Disquiet
You are warmly invited to the opening of Past Disquiet on Thursday 27 February at 19:00. The evening starts with a special performance by the protest song choir Verzet per Couplet, followed by an introduction by curator Rasha Salti, highlighting the exhibition’s history and the scenography of this particular iteration. Afterwards, exhibition designer Hatem Imam will provide the music.
Register for the opening here!
This iteration of Past Disquiet also casts a special focus on the history of artistic solidarity within the Netherlands, and particularly in Amsterdam where many solidarity organisations were based. It explores how international movements from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, such as the anti-apartheid, anti-Vietnam War, and Chilean resistance efforts, were met with local activism. The exhibition celebrates the creativity and enduring influence of these movements.
Past Disquiet traces its research to four forgotten ‘museums in solidarity’: the International Art Exhibition for Palestine (Lebanon, 1978), the Museum of Latin American Art in Solidarity with Nicaragua, the International Museum of the Resistance Salvador Allende, and Art Contre/Against Apartheid. These initiatives were intended as acts of solidarity, supporting the liberation struggles of the Palestinian people, the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua, rejecting the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, and opposing the apartheid regime in South Africa. Despite their significant scale and impact, the presented collections have largely faded from historical memory – until now.
Curators Khouri and Salti’s research journey followed threads from Beirut, Paris, Rome, Rabat, Baghdad, Tokyo, Venice, Santiago, Managua and Cape Town, back and forth. Their investigation uncovered thousands of intersecting stories of visionaries who organised exhibitions, intervened in public spaces, and created a particular form of museum as an embodiment of their causes. Through compelling archival materials – documents, photographs, pamphlets, press clippings, posters, interviews and videos – the exhibition brings this shared counter-history of art practice and political mobilisation to light.
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This event may be photographed and filmed. Kindly let us know in advance if you prefer not to have your picture taken.
Supported by
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; Amsterdam Fund for the Arts; Municipality of Amsterdam; VriendenLoterij Fonds; International Institute of Social History; Het Documentaire Paviljoen (IDFA); and Nieuwe Instituut.
The visit of Hatem Imam is made possible by the International Visitors Programme of the Nieuwe Instituut with support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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Colonial history / Chile / Global Art History / Art and Activism / Middle East / Palestine / South Africa /
Exhibitions
Exhibition: Past Disquiet
Curated by Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, this documentary and archival exhibition uncovers a largely forgotten history of politically engaged artists and initiatives
Agenda
Guided Tour: Past Disquiet
Curator Rasha Salti leads a tour of the exhibition that highlights the connection between cultural practice and political action
From Archives to Exhibition Scenography: Notes on Past Disquiet
The event focuses on the history and design Past Disquiet, which has been travelling the world since its first edition in 2015
Network
Resistance By Verse
Protest Choir
Farah Fayyad
Graphic designer
Hatem Imam
Visual artist, Graphic designer
Rasha Salti
Writer, Researcher, Curator
