New NYC Art Exhibit: Stories of Resistance in Autonomous Communities

NEW EXHIBIT AT THE P.I.T IN NEW YORK CITY

From Turtle Island to Middle East, indigenous and colonized peoples have not only resisted the myriad forms of violence they have been subjected to but have also striven to preserve and reinvent traditional forms of governance rooted in egalitarian and non-exploitative ways of organizing social relations in harmony with the nonhuman world.

This exhibit brings together art from three indigenous contexts: Zapatistas, Kurds and the Diné (Navajo) nation. The stories of these communities are stories of resistance, self-governance, & emancipatory imaginaries.

@thedarlingbeast, a creative brand led by Kurdish artist Raz Xaidan, constructs visuals which explore the hybrid intersections of time, identity, feminism, resistance and cultural surrealism.

Argentinian photographer @mauricio.centurion_ documents the Rojava revolution in NE Syria — a de facto autonomous region where Kurds, along with other ethno-religious groups, have been transforming their society since 2012 along the principles of women’s liberation, participatory democracy, ecology, and pluralism.

His work brings Rojava into dialogue with another utopian project of self-determination and emancipation: the Zapatistas who, since their 1994 uprising, have been building an autonomous system of governance based on the indigenous traditions of communal decision-making, collective economy, care for the Mother Earth, and gender parity. The Zapatistas’ struggle is celebrated in Mexican artist @granom posters.

The Zapatista 7 principles of “governing by obeying” serve as an inspiration for Papalotl Muyus, a protest dance film produced by @semillas_collective Adherents of La Sexta as a way for displaced indigenous families in NYC to heal, empower & resist.

Finally, Diné artist Craig George’s art captures the perspective of Diné (Navajo) that continues to resist genocide, theft of their ancestral lands and forced assimilation, by preserving its traditions and indigenous sovereignty, defending Mother Earth from pillaging & recovering their stolen territories. craig.george23

Open Wednesday through Sunday, 1pm - 8pm, April 20th - May 20th, at the P.I.T. (411 S 5th St, Los Sures, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211)

Co-organized by:

  • Emergency Committee for Rojava

  • Sexta Grietas Del Norte

  • Semillas Collective

  • CityKurds

  • The P.I.T.

Emergency Committee for Rojava ECR