At the beginning of 2024, I was traveling in Malaysia and Singapore, and one of the many inspiring things I did was go see the Tropical: Stories from Southeast Asia and Latin America exhibit (open thru March 24). It compares 20th century art created in these two regions which were united by their shared struggles against colonialism.
In addition to getting to learning about so many amazing artists from both regions that I was never introduced to before (despite years of visiting museums and galleries and taking art history classes) I was struck by how individuals and collectives of artists in these regions saw their roles in the world and in their home countries – roles like making visible their people’s experiences of colonialism; providing alternative visions of the world beyond their colonizer’s laws, beliefs, and ideals of beauty; and helping to form national identities steeped in their own cultural traditions.
O Vendedor de frutas, 1925 by Tarsila do Amaral
Journey into Space. 1969 by Grace Selvanayagam.
The exhibit also reminded me of a documentary I saw in August on the opening night of the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival called Kiss the Future. The film – which is being released this week at AMC theaters in the U.S. -- focuses on the Siege of Sarajevo and the experiences of (particularly young) Sarajevans and a group of foreign aid workers.
While the context is very dark, it is quite moving and inspiring to see how young people used music, dance, theater, and art as catharsis, as expressions of their humanity, as a means of building trust and connection, as a form of creative resistance. Sarajevans’ creative resistance also enabled an unusual relationship with the band U2 who tried to use their 1993 ZooTV Tour to raise awareness and spark activism in support of the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina, as the band toured countries whose governments were unwilling to intervene in the war or support the newly independent country’s struggle, ultimately enabling the Bosnian Genocide.
I recognize that our world today is filled with so much darkness – war, genocide, poverty, fascism, xenophobia and so many other forms of violence feel pervasive, and they make many of us feel powerless. However, Tropical and Kiss the Future are just two of so many reminders of how people from different places, times, and circumstances have continued to find ways to come together and embrace creativity and humanity and resist the darkness in the world. I know for me, having opportunities to learn about and remember what other people and communities have done before inspires me to see new possibilities about how I can practice creative resistance. And I share this, because I hope it helps inspire you too.
