Events
AFIELD Forum: Transitional Justice by Artists 27 – 30 May 2025
AFIELD Forum: Transitional Justice by Artists
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Register for events at K1 (Kanal-Centre Pompidou)
The 2025 AFIELD Forum: Transitional Justice by Artists is a project by AFIELD co-produced with Kanal-Centre Pompidou and Kunstenfestivaldesarts with support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.
Held from 27 to 30 May, 2025, in Brussels, the edition centers on innovative solutions by artists that help to advance the mechanisms of transitional justice.
‘Transitional justice’ refers to the legal and institutional processes employed to address widespread human rights violations committed during conflicts or under repressive regimes. Centered on the needs and aspirations of victims, it encompasses judicial and non-judicial measures, including prosecutions, truth commissions, reparations programs, and institutional reforms.
Artists have played a pivotal role in advancing reparations and policy change, developing essential tools for seeking justice and addressing the lasting impact of atrocities on individuals and societies. Their work strengthens processes of reconciliation and accountability by producing alternative forms of evidence, constructing archives that challenge dominant narratives and creating spaces for collective healing and remembrance. Through artistic interventions, they foster dialogue, amplify marginalized voices and shape public discourse, ultimately influencing institutional frameworks and policies that contribute to long-term justice and societal transformation.
With Pio Abad, Archivo de la Memoria Trans, Alejandra Ballón Gutiérrez, Rosemarie Buikema, Federico Campagna, CATPC, Manuel Correa, Clémentine Deliss, Laura Dubois, Sevinaz Evdike, First Waves, Globa Aroma, Joana Hadjithomas, Jack Halberstam, Jail Time Records, Ella Joyner, Joseph Kaifala, William Kentridge, Jesse Krimes, François Makanga, Hannah Meszaros Martin, Basel Nasr, Justine Jaz Okolodkoff, Elizabeth Povinelli, Lia Rodrigues, Ahmed Saleh, Selvagem, Ukraine War Archive and YouYou Group.
Design by Elise Botrel, Credits: Anna Dantes and Ailton Krenak, Selvagem © Elisa Mendes I Archivo de la Memoria Trans, Destellos © Levi Fanan I Alejandra Ballón Gutiérrez, Mujeres de Anta © Liz Tasa I Lia Rodrigues, Encantado © Sammi Landweer I Manuel Correa, Situated Testimony, Francisco Etxeberría, Eva Ibañez © Mauricio Freyre I Dione Roach, Steve “Vidou H” Happi, Jail Time Records © Dione Roach
The program will encompass ‘schools’, participant-led workshops, walks, performances, panels and keynotes open to the public. Please note that registration will be required for some sessions due to limited capacity.
The AFIELD Forum on Transitional Justice by Artists builds upon a seminar and a grant awarded to four Transitional Justice grantees in 2024.
This year components of the program are co-curated within the framework of the Kunstenfestivaldesarts’ Free School titled The School of Fireflies.
The shared program advocates for the reimagination of the role of art as a catalyst for justice, care, and collective resistance and underscores the potential of interdisciplinary collaboration to illuminate the intersections of creativity, memory, and healing, beyond the art world.
The forum is free of charge and will take place between the two venues: K1 (Kanal-Centre Pompidou), and Beursschouwburg. Audience is limited to the capacity of the venue.
