Movements

Who or where you are and what your background is determines how freely you can move. Thus opportunities and expectations vary considerably by family, country, religion and culture, by gender or ethnicity. In Movements, you see how the main characters physically resist external barriers through their sports. From a young Afghan woman who excels in boxing and eventually even manages to secure a ticket to the Olympics, to a young Tunisian man who, after a leg amputation, finds a new lease on life as a breakdancer. But also a photo series about a group of Palestinian skaters who, despite the occupation, regain their freedom through their sport.

Photographers and artists
You will see the works of Andrea Bruce, Denis Darzacq, Maen Hammad, Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, Chantal Pinzi, Nandipha Mntambo, Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi, Miguel Rio Branco, Newsha Tavakolian and Hank Willis Thomas. Their works consist mainly of photography, interspersed with the occasional video installation. Some do so in personal documentary style, others with (re)interpretation of found-footage (found) video material, while others stage an image to raise a specific issue.

Man in motion
The selected works show humans in motion in different parts of the world, with the universal language of sport working its way through different cultures while revealing contrast. Movements shows human beings who, through movement, try to escape social pressures. They try to free themselves and sometimes succumb to it. Sports such as boxing, skating, breakdance, gymnastics, soccer, and bullfighting symbolize the struggle and individual showdown of people against prevailing norms and values.

Curator of Movements is Rose Ieneke van Kalsbeek.

Movements is made possible by Cultuurfonds, Mondriaan Fonds and Gemeente Hilversum.