Framer Framed

27 Feb –
25 May 2025

Exhibition: Past Disquiet

Framer Framed is proud to present Past Disquiet from 27 February to 25 May 2025. Drawing on over a decade of research by curators Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, this documentary and archival exhibition uncovers a largely forgotten history of politically engaged artists and initiatives and their role in anti-imperialist solidarity movements from the 1960s to the 1980s.

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, Cape Town and Amsterdam, 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. 

Alongside the exhibition, Framer Framed will host a public programme featuring talks, workshops and screenings, as well as guided tours. Past Disquiet is a vivid rediscovery of collective artistic resistance, shedding new light on the intersection of cultural practice and political action that continues to inspire solidarity today.

Exhibition Companion Guide
Read the exhibition hand-out online here.

Opening 
The exhibition opens on 27 February.

Guided tours
Every month, curator Rasha Salti will give a guided tour of the Past Disquiet exhibition. The next tour will take place on Saturday 15 March at 2:00 PM. After the tour, there will be time to ask questions and engage in conversation.

Dates
15 March, 2:00-4:00 PM
12 April, 2:00-4:00 PM
10 May, 2:00-4:00 PM

Admission
Participation in the tour is free. The tours are in English. Tours can be given in Dutch, Arabic, Spanish and Mandarin upon request. Please contact us separately for requests.

Address
Framer Framed
Oranje-Vrijstaatkade 71
1093KS, Amsterdam
The Netherlands

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.

Attachments

• Exhibition Companion Guide

Agenda

12 Apr 2025
14:00 - 15:00

Guided Tour: Past Disquiet

Guided tour of the exhibition, highlighting the connection between cultural practice and political action

10 Apr 2025
19:00 - 21:00

The Revolutionary Anti-Racist Action, Solidarity, Art and the Archive

Screening and talk diving into the history of history RaRa, an anonymous Dutch collective that fought racism, exploitation and the persistent legacies of the Netherlands’ colonial past.

26 Mar 2025
19:30 - 21:30

Reconstruction and Spatial Justice in Palestine

Seminar interrogating the role of architecture in reproducing cycles of destruction and domination in Palestine

Network

Farah Fayyad

Graphic designer

Hatem Imam

Visual artist, Graphic designer

Rasha Salti

Writer, Researcher, Curator

Kristine Khouri

Researcher, Curator

Magazine

Bookshop Selection / Art and Activism / Art in Public Space / Social Practice /

Bookshop selection: Met Emmer en Kwast - by Eric Duivenvoorden