02 Mar 2011

Lambent Foundation presents Aesthetic Justice

Lambent Foundation in New York City is pleased to announce 'Aesthetic Justice,' a group exhibition organized by Provisions Learning Project in Washington, DC, featuring works by Alyse Emdur, Rajkamal Kahlon, Carlos Motta & Josué Euceda, and Larissa Sansour.

Introducing the concept of 'Aesthetic Justice,' that is justice from an aesthetic perspective instead of a legal one, the exhibition underscores the transformative potential of linking these concepts. It does so by displaying contemporary artworks critical to notions of fairness, interdependency, protection, and equality. Investigating how the works of art's specific aesthetic frameworks inform the subject matters they address, the exhibition explores the ways in which formal and conceptual strategies enhance an understanding of responsibility and responsiveness.

'Aesthetic Justice' reflects upon the question of justice within the four specific socio-political contexts the artworks engage with: the plight of the Palestinian people, the US prison industrial complex, police brutalities in Honduras, and the torture of Iraqi and Afghan prisoners by the US government.

Drawing upon recent writings of Judith Butler, 'Aesthetic Justice' asks how we could present 'broader social and political claims about rights of protection and entitlements to persistence and flourishing,' demanding a deeper understanding of the quest for solidarity and global justice. Following Butler's proposition, the exhibition calls for a new imagining of affect and responsiveness, investigating the ways in which artists depict human agency using visual, narrative, and poetic frameworks.
'Aesthetic Justice' is curated by Niels Van Tomme, Director of Arts and Media at Provisions Learning Project in Washington, DC.

For more information about the public events related to the exhibition, contact exhibitions@lambentfoundation.org.

The 'Aesthetic Justice' publication will be made available online at the closing of the exhibition: www.provisionslibrary.org

Provisions Learning Project is a research and production center investigating the intersection of art and social change. Provisions is a leading voice in advancing knowledge and promoting understanding on a wide-range of social topics, producing innovative models for critical investigation. With its extensive library, public programming, and research opportunities, it supports artistic, intellectual, and activist endeavors that explore the social dimensions of contemporary culture. Provisions features on-site programs such as exhibitions, screenings, workshops, lectures, as well as on- and offline publications, for which it collaborates with various artistic, educational, and philanthropic organizations nation-wide.

The 'Aesthetic Justice' exhibition, publication, and related events are made possible with the generous support of Lambent Foundation.