After Hope: Videos of Resistance
On view March 11 through December 31, 2023
SALEM, MA – The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) presents 54 short videos in an exhibition exploring the role of hope in contemporary art and activism. Organized by the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, After Hope: Videos of Resistance is an immersive experience in PEM’s Jeffrey P. Beale Gallery featuring the perspectives of contemporary Asian filmmakers, including artists from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Turkey and other regions that are underrepresented in North American art museums. After Hope is on view at PEM from March 11 through December 31, 2023.
The films, some of which are only a few minutes long, touch on a vast range of issues, including environmental degradation and eco-feminism, transgressive histories and speculative futures, censorship and resilience, the power of song, narratives of exile and diaspora and the loss of identity in the rush to embrace globalized capitalism. Collectively, these films ask us how hope drives us to imagine new worlds.
“Though the specific issues and causes addressed here may at first seem fragmented, they cohere as you watch and reflect the all-too-familiar feeling of finding our way during this uncertain time of war, pandemic and environmental crisis,” said organizing curator Dan Finamore, PEM’s Associate Director – Exhibitions, and The Russell W. Knight Curator of Maritime Art and History. “As visitors create connections between the videos, they may begin to reflect on the role hope plays in their own lives and in their communities.”
Eclectic in nature, these short works entice audiences to linger in the gallery and to keep coming back for more. Viewers are encouraged to return to experience different parts of the program. Accompanying the 6.5-hour single-screen visual projection are drawings, photos, booklets and posters from international artists that provide additional context. The project also has a dedicated website, www.afterhope.com. Some videos on view contain sensitive content, so visitor discretion is advised.
“This exhibition presents a surprisingly emotional experience, and our intent is that people come away with a broader, richer, more timely understanding of Asia,” said supporting curator Stephanie Hueon Tung, PEM’s Byrne Family Curator of Photography. “Hope is something all of us are seeking. It propels us and moves us. Hope is essential for survival and change.”
FEATURED FILMMAKERS:
Agil Abdullayev · Alison Nguyen · Angela Su · Arahmaiani · Araya Rasdjarmrearnsook · Ashley Yang Thompson · Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme · Bolortuvshin Jargalsaikhan · Bonam Kim · Chaw Ei Thein · Chitra Ganesh · Choi Sai-ho · Chulayarnnon Siriphol · Connie Zheng · Elena Artemenko · Emin Azizbayli · Evgeny Granilshchikov · Fang Lu · Gazelle Samizay · Gulnara Kasmalieva and Muratbek Djumaliev · Htein Lin · Isa Ho · J Triangular · Jane Jin Kaisen · Jeamin Cha · Labkhand Olfatmanesh · Lam Tung Pang · Lausan Collective · Le Mediator · Lo Lai-lai Natalie · Mehregan Pezeshki · Minoosh Zomorodinia · Nguyen Tan Hoang · Nyein Chan Su · Ohm Phanphiroj · Oliver Herring · Orkhan Huseynov · Özgür Atlagan · Reena Saini Kallat · Shoaib Daniyal · Shun Wint Aung · Som Supaparinya · Thukral and Tagra · Tiffany Chung · Tina Takemoto · Tong Wenmin · Tsui Kuang-Yu · Tuguldur Yondonjamts · Xiaoze Xie · Yasmin Jahan Nupur · Yelena and Viktor Vorobyev · Yuan Goang-Ming · Zamir Suleymanov · Zeina Barakeh · Zeynep Kayan · Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
PUBLICITY IMAGES
High-resolution images are available upon request.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Share your impressions with us on social media using #VideosofResistance
SPONSORS
After Hope: Videos of Resistance is organized by the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in collaboration with Padma Dorje Maitland. The exhibition at PEM is made possible by the generosity of Carolyn and Peter S. Lynch and The Lynch Foundation. Additional support was provided by individuals who support the Exhibition Innovation Fund: Jennifer and Andrew Borggaard, James B. and Mary Lou Hawkes, Kate and Ford O'Neil, and Henry and Callie Brauer. We also recognize the generosity of the East India Marine Associates of the Peabody Essex Museum.
IMAGE CREDITS
Detail of selected works from After Hope: Videos of Resistance. Video stills. Courtesy of the artists. © 2022 Asian Art Museum.
ABOUT THE PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM
Over the last 20 years, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) has distinguished itself as one of the fastest-growing art museums in North America. Founded in 1799, it is also the country’s oldest continuously operating museum. At its heart is a mission to enrich and transform people's lives by broadening their perspectives, attitudes and knowledge of themselves and the wider world. PEM celebrates outstanding artistic and cultural creativity through exhibitions, programming and special events that emphasize cross-cultural connections, integrate past and present and underscore the vital importance of creative expression. The museum's collection is among the finest of its kind, including superlative works from around the globe and across time — American art and architecture, Asian and Asian export art, maritime, Native American, Oceanic, and African art, fashion and textiles, and photography, as well as one of the nation’s most important museum-based collections of rare books and manuscripts. PEM's campus offers a varied and unique visitor experience with hands-on creativity zones, interactive opportunities and performance spaces. Twenty-two noted historic structures grace PEM’s campus, including Yin Yu Tang, a 200-year-old Chinese home that is the only example of Chinese domestic architecture in the United States. HOURS: Open Thursday–Monday, 10 am–5 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. ADMISSION: Adults $20; seniors $18; students $12. Members, youth 16 and under and residents of Salem enjoy free general admission. INFO: Call 866-745-1876 or visit pem.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Whitney Van Dyke | Director of Marketing & Communications | whitney_vandyke@pem.org | 617-259-6722