This exhibition features (diasporic) artists from Somaliland telling their own story, unobscured by a colonial gaze.
The Anarchist Citizenship: People Made of Stories explores the possibilities of visual storytelling, imagination, and self-determination. In doing so, it offers an alternative approach to understanding this self-declared independent region of Somalia. It places the agency of Somali(land) people at the centre. As a result, we are presented with an approach that overrides Eurocentric hierarchies. It convincingly raises the question: Who gets to document, write, and think about whom? Above all, it is breathtakingly beautiful.
We are introduced to Somali (diasporic) artists navigating the waters of cultural production, histories, war traumas, diasporic lifeworlds, and possible futures. This exhibition is an arena for visual, sonic, and poetic stories, taking the form of installations, film screenings, poetry programs, photography, archives, workshops, textiles, and dialogic spaces.
Within this context, spatial design assumes a crucial role—the exhibition design acts as an intermediary between various artistic expressions. It reflects the provocative visual language, vibrant cosmos, aesthetic sensibilities, and storytelling that define contemporary Somaliland, with a particular focus on its capital city, Hargeisa. The displayed works embody the collective efforts of their creators, weaving together stories, histories, and language to craft visual narratives that celebrate the complexities of citizenship in this region.
Together with collaborators and contributors Kinsi Abdulleh, Rashid Ali, Abdulla Barre, Salman Dirir, Sumia Juxun, Elmi Original, Mustafa Saeed, and The Somali Museum UK, curator Amal Alhaag and artist Nadine Stijns will present a special The Anarchist Citizenship programme. It consists of a visual installation, a screening, and public gatherings that explore the complexities and joys of Somali social life, memory work, and the ways communities create alternative ways of being together as survival strategies.
The exhibition runs until 26 Jan 2025 at Framer Framed in Amsterdam.
