After its exhibition at the Contemporary Art Museum of Barcelona (2015) and the Haus Der Kulturen Der Welt in Berlin (2016), this archival and documentary exhibition arrives at MSSA, excavating the history of the museums of solidarity organized in support of the causes of Palestine, Nicaragua, South Africa and Chile, established during the tumultuous seventies and eighties, under the ideals of political and social struggle.
The similarities and particularities of these four experiences of artistic action against established power were investigated by two curators of Lebanese origin, Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti. The professional team at MSSA actively collaborated in the research of the Nicaraguan case.
Thus, the exhibition weaves the connected history of the International Art Exhibition for Palestine, in Beirut, Lebanon (1978), the Art for the People of Nicaragua initiative (1981), the collection Art Against Apartheid in South Africa (1979) and the Museum of Solidarity (1971), today Salvador Allende Museum of Solidarity, the only one still active.
The narrative of the exhibition also presents the networks of solidarity of collectives based in Paris, Rome and Tokyo; the artists’ unions in Damascus, Casablanca, Berlin and Warsaw; and the denunciation actions in the Biennials of Venice, Baghdad and Rabat.
After its exhibition in Chile, this show’s tour will continue during 2018 to Sursock Museum (Beirut, Lebanon) and MMGA Foundation (Amman, Jordan).
Kristine Khouri is an independent writer and researcher in visual arts and archival practices, currently living in Beirut. Rasha Salti is an independent film and visual arts curator and writer, working and living between Beirut, Berlin and Paris.
Credits
The first edition of the exhibition was produced by Museo d‘Art Contemporani de Barcelona (MACBA) en 2015, the second edition, by la Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) en Berlin, en 2016. This edition is produced por el Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (MSSA) and Sursock Museum.
This exhibition is possible thanks to: Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Cultural y las Artes 2018, George Al Ama, y Corporación ARTE +.
The research that originates the exhibition Past Disquiet was possible thanks Rana Sadik and Samer Younis, the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), ZedGrant, the A. M. Qattan Foundation, Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (MSSA), Foundation for Arts Initiatives, Tensta Konsthall, Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, Tranzit (Budapest), and the Institut national de l’histoire de l’art.
