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Writer's pictureanne

The Art of Resistance

Poulomi Basu, Sisters of the Moon. The image shows a woman lying in a bed in a body of water.
Poulomi Basu, Sisters of the Moon, 2022

If art with a bite is your bag, drop everything and head straight to the South London Gallery for Acts of Resistance: Photography, Feminisms and the Art of Protest – a fantastic, inspiring exhibition which explores decolonial feminist realities through photography – but also how the artists who are activists themselves – challenge the idea of what protest photography looks like. 

Various pictures are hanging in a the south london gallery for acts of resistance exhibition.
Acts of Resistance - Main Gallery at the SLG, 2024

As you walk into the gallery, it’s difficult not to be overwhelmed by the giant photographs in front of you – each telling a different story but bound together by a common, human thread. It’s also hard to know where to start – just like with feminism itself, just like with the many struggles we face. Take a deep breath and immerse yourself in the world of intersectional feminist activism, powerful visual narratives, and beautiful, raw art. 

The exhibition is curated around important themes, such as transgender rights, abolition of the prison system, indigenous and disability rights, climate and reproductive justice; as well as global events that are defining feminisms in the 21st century, including the Women Life Freedom movement in Iran, anti-rape protests in Bangladesh, and the repeal of Roe vs Wade in the U.S.A. Each artist, in their own way, takes a swipe at the white supremacist, colonial, capitalist patriarchal system ruling and ruining our lives. 


“A good image speaks to everyone.

It’s about what women can achieve when they get together.”

Hannah Sarkey 

The image shows Sethembile Msezane, Chapungu: The Day Rhodes Fell, masked female figure in a black leotard, with her extended wings with the toppling statue of rhodes in the back
Sethembile Msezane, Chapungu: The Day Rhodes Fell, 2015

Every piece in this thoughtfully curated exhibition will resonate with each of us differently. For me, in addition to the quality of the art, what stands out is the juxtaposition of veteran activists, household names like Nan Golding, Marsha Johnson and Zanele Muholi, with younger, relative newcomers like Sethembile Msezane, Laia Abril, Katayama Katayama or Raphaella Rosella - all of them disrupting the hegemonic order, enacting feminist practice and the process of respectful co-creation, building a collective spirit and sense of transnational solidarity. 

Three images showing older women as part of Hannah Satrkey's Principled and Revolutionary: Northern Ireland’s Peace Women, 2023
Hannah Starkey, Principled and Revolutionary: Northern Ireland’s Peace Women, 2023

Feminisms is a plural noun and verb all at once, and is at a turning point – a truly global force that is increasingly inclusive and decolonial – less western-centric (even if people still like to talk about western constructs like waves!). Facilitated (and at times impeded) by the internet and social media, we are learning new ways of articulating our struggles and reframing her_stories - joining the dots to make each act of resistance matter.

 



Practical info

 

Main Gallery, South London Louie, Bookshop and Gardens

65–67 Peckham Road

London SE5 8UH


The Fire Station Galleries 

82 Peckham Road

London SE15 5LQ

 

Opening Times

The gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday 11.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. – with late opening on Wednesday till 9.00 p.m.

 

Details on how to get there and information about accessibility







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