Moments of Freedom: Revolutionary Art from China, South Africa and Tunisia

By: Ikram Lakhdhar '13

Advising Faculty: Yibing Huang and Christopher Steiner

This exhibit brought together a rich mosaic of historical material, many of which have never been shown together, to examine and explore some of the most compelling revolutions of the 20th and 21st century. Featuring more than 50 artworks – including photography, paintings and rare propaganda posters – the exhibition chronicled the distinctive pictorial responses to the Chinese Cultural Revolution, South Africa’s apartheid movement and the Tunisian revolution that sparked the Arab Spring in 2011.

Included in the exhibition were exceptional works of internationally acclaimed artists such as William Kentridge, Senzo Shabangu, Diane Victor, Zhang Hongtu, Rajaa Ghari and Deborah Bell. In addition, the exhibition featured the works of a new generation of Tunisian photographers, such as Wassim Grimen, Omar Sfayhi and Youssef Ben Ammar. Moments of Freedom aims to deconstruct the history of global injustices, to question the power of ideology, to challenge the authority of the image, and to promote freedom of expression.

Related Fields: Art History, CISLA, East Asian Studies, Global/International