Past Disquiet: Artists, International Solidarity and Museums in Exile
edited by Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, 2018 eISBN: 978-83-64177-58-3 | Paper: 978-83-64177-44-6 Library of Congress Classification N72.P6P37 2018
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC
ABOUT THIS BOOK
The International Art Exhibition for Palestine took place in Beirut in 1978 and mobilized international networks of artists in solidarity with anti-imperialist movements of the 1960s and ’70s. In that era, individual artists and artist collectives assembled collections; organized touring exhibitions, public interventions and actions; and collaborated with institutions and political movements. Their aim was to lend support and bring artistic engagement to protests against the ongoing war in Vietnam, the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, and the apartheid regime in South Africa, and they were aligned in international solidarity for anti-colonial struggles. Past Disquiet brings together contributions from scholars, curators and writers who reflect on these marginalized histories and undertakings that took place in Baghdad, Beirut, Belgrade, Damascus, Paris, Rabat, Tokyo, and Warsaw. The book also offers translations of primary texts and recent interviews with some of the artists involved.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Kristine Khouri is a researcher, writer, and curator. Rasha Salti is a film theorist, curator, art writer, and researcher.
REVIEWS
"Using innovative methodologies for Art history by capturing the contacts and ramifications of a history of transnational political and artistic solidarities, the book initiates a new chapter in the investigation that was launched in 2008 by the re-discovery of the 1978 exhibition catalogue. From conflicts in Latin America to the political and artistic contestation of the Apartheid, this prospective research recounts the history of museums in exile, from the donation of works in support of the creation of art museum and the recognition of oppressed peoples by international artists. The commitment to these causes by artistic communities, works and exhibitions are conceptualized as tools of resistance that create spaces of hospitality, fragments of exiled museums through travelling shows that 'restore rejected narratives, a necessary effort for building a holistic picture of history, […] [that] revive at least fragments or strains of alternative narratives about the shape of international exchange and interpersonal solidarity.' Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, by blending together personal narratives and accounts,translated historical texts, essays and archives, not only bring 'visibility to marginalized art history and forgotten exhibitions; [they] also [revive] a recent past, a time when militant artists brought art to the heart of political action.'"
— Critique d'art
"Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti have uncovered an extraordinary lost history, not simply of one exhibition but several artistic networks of international solidarity, from Palestine to Chile, Poland to South Africa, that once made up the international cultural landscape."
Past Disquiet: Artists, International Solidarity and Museums in Exile
edited by Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti
Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, 2018 eISBN: 978-83-64177-58-3 Paper: 978-83-64177-44-6
The International Art Exhibition for Palestine took place in Beirut in 1978 and mobilized international networks of artists in solidarity with anti-imperialist movements of the 1960s and ’70s. In that era, individual artists and artist collectives assembled collections; organized touring exhibitions, public interventions and actions; and collaborated with institutions and political movements. Their aim was to lend support and bring artistic engagement to protests against the ongoing war in Vietnam, the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile, and the apartheid regime in South Africa, and they were aligned in international solidarity for anti-colonial struggles. Past Disquiet brings together contributions from scholars, curators and writers who reflect on these marginalized histories and undertakings that took place in Baghdad, Beirut, Belgrade, Damascus, Paris, Rabat, Tokyo, and Warsaw. The book also offers translations of primary texts and recent interviews with some of the artists involved.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Kristine Khouri is a researcher, writer, and curator. Rasha Salti is a film theorist, curator, art writer, and researcher.
REVIEWS
"Using innovative methodologies for Art history by capturing the contacts and ramifications of a history of transnational political and artistic solidarities, the book initiates a new chapter in the investigation that was launched in 2008 by the re-discovery of the 1978 exhibition catalogue. From conflicts in Latin America to the political and artistic contestation of the Apartheid, this prospective research recounts the history of museums in exile, from the donation of works in support of the creation of art museum and the recognition of oppressed peoples by international artists. The commitment to these causes by artistic communities, works and exhibitions are conceptualized as tools of resistance that create spaces of hospitality, fragments of exiled museums through travelling shows that 'restore rejected narratives, a necessary effort for building a holistic picture of history, […] [that] revive at least fragments or strains of alternative narratives about the shape of international exchange and interpersonal solidarity.' Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti, by blending together personal narratives and accounts,translated historical texts, essays and archives, not only bring 'visibility to marginalized art history and forgotten exhibitions; [they] also [revive] a recent past, a time when militant artists brought art to the heart of political action.'"
— Critique d'art
"Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti have uncovered an extraordinary lost history, not simply of one exhibition but several artistic networks of international solidarity, from Palestine to Chile, Poland to South Africa, that once made up the international cultural landscape."