< Program overview

In Bearing Witness, works by artists from (post-)conflict areas are presented alongside stories from Dutch veterans. These narratives and works convey the lived experience of life during and after war. The artworks explore the nature of memories, the relation to land, and the impact of (forced) migration. The veterans' stories portray their moral concerns about participating in different UN missions. Together, these pieces reveal how past events continue to shape present lives. How parallel lines can be drawn between situations "elsewhere" and here, and between the perspective of one person and another. They challenge us to transcend boundaries of time, place, and between people. As denying another as someone like ourselves sows the seeds of violence. Amid increasing global conflicts, what does it mean now to face these experiences? How do we bear witness, even when it is uncomfortable?

The exhibition takes place at: POST and Willem Twee.
Curator: Laura Mudde