Curatorial Perspective: Activism in Art

Art has the power to move beyond aesthetics and enter the realm of social transformation. As a curator, I am drawn to works that engage with activism, not only as a subject but as a practice. Activist art amplifies marginalized voices, exposes structural injustices, and creates spaces for reflection, dialogue, and collective action.

In curating activist-focused exhibitions, I consider how artists’ choices, materials, mediums, and methods interact with their political aims. For example, Doris Salcedo’s sculptures, created from everyday objects laden with loss, make visible the invisible trauma of political violence, inviting audiences to confront histories often erased. Similarly, artists from the Global South frequently repurpose materials or archive vernacular narratives to challenge colonial and consumerist legacies within museums and society.

From a curatorial perspective, presenting activist art requires attentiveness to context. Display strategies, exhibition narratives, and audience engagement all shape how the work’s social message is received. Curators act as mediators between the artwork, its history, and the public; our role is to create conditions for empathetic, critical engagement without diluting the work’s urgency.

Ultimately, curating activist art is about more than assembling objects; it is about fostering ethical, affective spaces that encourage reflection and inspire change. The most compelling exhibitions are those that not only show but enact resistance, giving audiences a way to witness, understand, and participate in the pursuit of justice.