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.
Curators & Researchers
Kristine Khouri, Rasha Salti
Scenography & Graphic Design
Hatem Imam
Farah Fayyad
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 May 24 at 16:00h. After the tour, there will be time to ask questions and engage in conversation.
Tour Dates
15 March, 14:00 – 15:00
12 April, 14:00 – 15:00
10 May, 14:00 – 15:00
24 May, 16:00 – 17:00
Admission
Participation in the tour is free. The tours are in English, but can be given in Dutch, Arabic, Spanish and Mandarin upon request. Please contact us via info@framerframed.nl.
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.
- Exhibition Companion Guide: Past Disquiet
Attachments
Art and Activism / Chile / Global Art History / The living archive / Middle East / Palestine / Transitional Justice / South Africa /
Agenda
Finissage: Past Disquiet
On Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 May, Framer Framed concludes the exhibition Past Disquiet with a full weekend programme
Solidarity Poster Printing - by Leaky Press
Poster printing workshop at KIOSK Rotterdam, inspired by Past Disquiet
Film screening: Past Disquiet at Het Documentaire Paviljoen
On 11 May at Het Documentaire Paviljoen, curator Rasha Salti presents two films to accompany the exhibition Past Disquiet
Printmaking workshop: Past Disquiet
Screen printing and colouring workshops led by changing artists and initiatives, as part of the exhibition Past Disquiet
Guided Tour: Past Disquiet
Guided tour of the exhibition, highlighting the connection between cultural practice and political action
A Cutting Room Floor: Practices & Methods of Disclosing Militant Cinema
Conversation which aims to discuss strategic practices of anti-colonial audiovisual collections.
Work Session on Art and Activism: Where Are We Heading?
A public brainstorming and day of action for renewed solidarity, set against the backdrop of the exhibition Past Disquiet
Socialist Cosmopolitanism and Its Afterlife – from On Kino Archives
Film screening and conversation with artists and filmmakers Qin Dao and Bo Wang
Screening: What the Olive Branch Has Seen
Screening and discussion of a film selection revolving around transnational solidarity.
Book Launch: Armed by Design
Book launch celebrating the graphic and intellectual legacy of Cuba’s Organization of Solidarity of the Peoples of Africa, Asia, and Latin America (OSPAAAL).
The Revolutionary Anti-Racist Action, Solidarity, Art and the Archive
Screening and talk diving into the history of RaRa, an anonymous collective that fought racism and the legacies of the Netherlands’ colonial past
Reconstruction and Spatial Justice in Palestine
Seminar interrogating the role of architecture in reproducing cycles of destruction and domination in Palestine
Bakunin’s Barricade: Answered
A conversation with Ahmet Öğüt on museum collections, art, and its use for activism
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
Opening: Past Disquiet
Opening of the exhibition Past Disquiet with an introduction by curator Rasha Salti and a performance by protest song choir Verzet per Couplet
Network
Farah Fayyad
Graphic designer
Hatem Imam
Visual artist, Graphic designer
Rasha Salti
Writer, Researcher, Curator
Kristine Khouri
Researcher, Curator
Magazine
Podcast / Chile / The living archive / Art and Activism / Palestine / South Africa /
Chile / Global Art History / The living archive / Art and Activism / Migration / Palestine / South Africa /
Video: in conversation with Past Disquiet curator Rasha Salti
Bookshop Selection / Art and Activism / Art in Public Space / Social Practice /