Poder al Pueblo – The People United
Curated by Tamara Toledo.
Rise up, there is still hope, the people united, will never be defeated. Fear and apathy no longer dominate, injustices are far too great, and the risks outweigh the opportunity to change systems of power. Artists all over the world voice their discontent and defy elitist colonial legacies with its destructive imperialist and capitalist footprints. Artists are not afraid to communicate their outrage against neoliberal policies that impoverish the most vulnerable, they actively denounce corporate machines that destroy our environment, and question systemic racism and sexism embedded in our daily lives. They do not shy away from denouncing Canadian corporations that extract resources, they condemn racial discrimination and violence, patriarchal systems of power, and gender inequalities. Today, people unite and embrace the strength found within numbers and within each other as a collective. People demand a different outcome, a different future, a transformed worldview, removed from colonial legacies that perpetuate a state of coloniality.
Through the work of the Beehive Collective, Colectivo LASTESIS, Carlos Colín, Cristian Ordóñez, and Syrus Marcus Ware, the exhibition dares to reflect on the power of people that follow a path of transformation seeking a different outcome. The Beehive Collective marks the history of colonization and capitalism throughout Mesoamerica, celebrating social movements that resist neoliberalism and extractivist developmentalist projects, while highlighting inspiring stories of collective action during times of climate change. LASTESIS share their anti-patriarchal message through public interventions as their performances evolve into viral forms of protest worldwide. Carlos Colín offers the individual an opportunity to multiply, spread voices of solidarity, with the message that the power lies within us, within the collective. Cristian Ordóñez captures images of combative youth underlining their courage and resilience, as well as their organizational capacity to change the course of Chilean history. And finally, Syrus Marcus Ware offers a space of hope as they imagine the collapse of capitalism and a not too far away future where social restructuring is based on care, acknowledgement, respect, and relations.
The exhibition The People United renders struggle and hope. It offers moments in time of resurgence, contestation, and emancipation but most importantly acknowledges the power that lies within people as well as a vision into what could be our future.