Every Act of Struggle: Intrusion and Assembly

Participating artists

Noor Abed, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Chad Cordeiro, Iswanto Hartono, Pieter Paul Pothoven and curated by School of Intrusions, de Appel and the participating artists.

Every Act of Struggle: Intrusion and Assembly

Over the past two years, a complex discourse has emerged about how cultural institutions in the Netherlands deal with issues of historical violence and systemic injustice in the context of their colonial history. Artists use various strategies to push these institutions to address these issues, often combining activism with their artistic practice. While some actions have brought these issues to public attention, much of the discourse has taken place in the private sphere, with many institutions adopting a cautious or non-committal stance. This current dynamic recalls earlier moments in history, namely the debates sparked by the cultural boycott and anti-apartheid movements of the 1960s to 1980s in the Netherlands, when cultural institutions came under similar pressure to critically reflect on their own roles.

Using a methodology by School of Intrusions, the artists in this exhibition met in various archives and locations in Amsterdam, where they reviewed research material and discussed various cases of artist movement actions and anti-apartheid campaigns, and the institutional responses that followed.

For the presentation in de Appel, relevant artworks by the artists will be exhibited and the exhibition space of de Appel will be transformed into a welcoming meeting space, designed by architect and artist Iswanto Hartono. Here, the open research will continue and study sessions with the public will take place. The research will continue after the exhibition and culminate in a next public moment in 2026.