Daria Tuminas
Writing
Curating & Production
Joint Memory: Photographic Fragments

Collective memory, social memory, cultural memory, class memory, public memory, family memory, local memory, national memory, global memory, and collected memory… We live in an epoch of memory fever. The earlier decades of twentieth-century modernity had been driven by a focus on the future. After World War II, society’s attention was shifted towards the past. Processes of decolonization sparked a desire and urgency towards reframing and rewriting histories. Understanding the nature of remembrance, and pursuing the act of remembrance itself, increasingly became a core transdisciplinary interest across different cultures.

People do not remember in isolation, but within collectives, by taking part in social practices and sharing group experiences. Because individual memories are shaped and preserved through narratives, rituals, and images created by others, multiple questions arise: What is the relationship between personal and collective memory? How selective and exclusionary is the process of social remembering? Who drives and controls it? What is the media’s role in constructing collective memory?

‘Joint Memory: Photographic Fragments’ brings together artists whose work reflects on how collective memories of historical events have been formed through photography since the second half of the 20th century until today. The ’memory collectives‘ vary from families to nations, and from offline to online. The exhibition will present projects that investigate aspects of recent history that have been suppressed, and (de)construct photographic representations of relevant events which circulate in the public domain – family albums, mass media, social networks, and archives.

The exhibition features works by the following international artists: Parisa Aminolahi (IR, based in NL), Ana Paula Estrada (MX, based in AU), Florian Göttke (DE, based in NL), Délio Jasse (AO, based in IT), Anastasia Mityukova (RU/CH, based in NL), Lorie Novak (US), Jan Rosseel (BE), Stefanos Tsivopoulos (GR, based in US and NL), Max Pinckers (BE) & Sam Weerdmeester (NL, working in BE),  Ben Krewinkel (NL).

Installation views: Studio Hans Wilschut.

The full virtual tour through the exhibition with additional materials such as interviews with artists, curator's introduction to the exhibition, videos, texts, press clippings, can be found here.

"It was very interesting! A great place for exhibitions. And joint memory had some awesome pieces quite critical and raw!" Visitor

"Inspiring to see all the different ways to present works. Unconventional and appropriate to the subject in a way I had not thought of. Beautiful subjects encourage thinking." Visitor

"Very interesting. Sharp questions make you think for yourself and learn from each other." Visitor

"I find it fascinating to see how differently we deal with a (historical) event. This gives a push to look at the role of (un)known media and the consequences mediation causes. Form is sometimes essential for this show, and it was strongly narrated. Very fascinating and confrontational." Visitor

About / Contact