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In 2017, Humanity in Action The Netherlands, together with Framer Framed and Castrum Peregrini, organized a three-part public symposium series, ‘Art as Resistance.’ With Art as Resistance, we explore the need to change the way cultural institutions in the Netherlands portray narratives, and the need to connect these narratives to our national histories. 

Through workshops, presentations, and theater, the participants increased their knowledge and broadened their view

Symposium Series

  1. Art & Affinity
  2. Taking the Oils out of the Arts
  3. Popular Culture & Social Injustice

The first edition focused on Art & Affinity and discussed how art shapes a sense of belonging to a particular group. Questions we focused on were: Who are our usual companions?; Who is our true family?; And what are the stories we insist on telling ourselves about our ‘family’?

For the second symposium in the series, ‘Taking the oil out of the arts,’ we zoomed in on the ethics of cultural institutions taking on financial sponsorships by fossil fuel companies. We reflected on how corporate companies benefit from what can be considered ‘greenwashing,’ and to what extent their cultural beneficiaries should be held accountable.

“… a multidimensional series in which art as resistance is highlighted in various ways…”

Participant, Symposium #2

The third edition, ‘Arts as Resistance Popular Culture en Social Injustice of Art as Resistance’, took place in 2019. During this edition, culture experts engaged in a dialogue with the public about the impact of popular culture on social issues and vice versa. Questions we focused on were: Do artists with a large platform have to express themselves on social issues?; What role does social media activism play in this interaction?; And how does popular culture create a connection in order to counteract polarisation between groups in society?

When fighting social injustice issues from an intersectional perspective, we should always try to take two questions into account: 1. Who is being hurt? and 2. Who is being heard?

– Participant, Symposium #3

This program is made possible by the generous support of: