De Appel is proud to present Every Act of Struggle: Intrusion and Assembly, an exhibition by artists who explore how Dutch cultural institutions address historical injustice through archival research, discussions, and activations. The exhibition will be opened on Thursday 24 April and will be running during the Amsterdam Art Week 2025, in which the exhibition will be concluded with a two-day symposium on Friday 23 May and Saturday 24 May.
With artists:
Noor Abed, Simnikiwe Buhlungu, Chad Cordeiro, Iswanto Hartono, Pieter Paul Pothoven,
curated by School of Intrusions, de Appel and the contributing artists.
Over the past two years, a complex discourse has emerged concerning the ways in which cultural institutions in the Netherlands navigate questions of historical violence and systemic injustice in the context of their colonial history. Artists have employed various strategies to urge these institutions to address these issues, often merging activism with their artistic practice. While some actions have brought these matters to public attention, much of the discourse continues to unfold in private, with many institutions adopting cautious or noncommittal stances.
This current dynamic recalls earlier moments in history, namely the debates sparked by the cultural boycott and anti-apartheid (SA) movement of the 1960s throughout the 1980s in the Netherlands, when cultural institutions faced similar pressures to critically reflect on their roles. Adopting a methodology proposed by School of Intrusions, the artists in this exhibition have been meeting in different archives and locations in Amsterdam, going through research material and discussing various cases of institutional reactions and actions led by artist movements and anti-apartheid campaigns.
For the duration of the presentation at de Appel, former pertinent artworks by the artists will be exhibited, and the exhibition space of de Appel will be converted into a hospitable assembly space by architect and artist Iswanto Hartono to continue activations by sharing open research and study sessions with audiences. The research will continue past the exhibition culminating in another public moment in 2026.
Closing Symposium
The final public programme, taking place on 23 and 24 May, includes talks by contributing artists about their ongoing research into the anti-apartheid movement in the Netherlands, with a particular focus on the involvement of artists and art institutions. Additional speakers will address the topic of cultural boycotts and their historical context in relation to South Africa. Further details about the programme will be published on the website of de Appel.
