In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Algeria's independence from France, “Moudjahidate* - women*, resistance, queer alliance” honours the commitment of women* fighters in the struggle for freedom and autonomy for their people and themselves. The exhibition creates a space for all women* who contributed to liberating land with their bodies, minds and power.

During French colonization, Frantz Fanon wrote in Algeria Unveiled (1965) of France trying to maintain its colonial rule through Algerian women*: “'If we are to destroy the fabric of Algerian society, its ability to resist, we must first conquer the women; we must find them behind the veil they hide under and in the houses where the men keep them out of sight.'”. The famous propaganda "Aren't you pretty, show yourself" clearly depicts the patriarchal rule over Algerian Muslim women*.

Since the dawn of time, bodies of women* are a territory in its own right, seeking to decolonize, to break the walled silences surrounding it, to stand on the front of the stage. Their spirit seeks to inhabit a body that is self-determined, dresses according to its own rules – embodies women* at the origin of the world and honouring who they are.   

On November 1st, the day that the Algerian War of Independence began 68 years ago, “Moudjahidate* – women*, resistance, queer alliance” presents works by three artists of Algerian origin, whose works reflect the lived experiences of women* in the (post- ) Focusing on wartime Algeria: Nadja Makhlouf, Sarah El Hamed and Maya Inès Touam.

women* in (post-)war, demystifying woman*hood and queer-feminist alliance

Oyoun's second curatorial focus is a testimony for women* in wars, against marginalizing historiography. It illuminates the struggles of women* whose chronicles are interwoven with colonial history and the decolonial movement: women* in Brazil in the midst of pervasive femicide, resistance fighters* in the Algerian War of Independence, and “comfort women”, the survivors of sexual enslavement by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Numerous depictions of women* at war are symptomatic of patriarchal-colonial oppression. Mightier than a trampled flower deconstructs the fetishization of a "trampled flower" - broken and fragile but still pretty and soft, confronts the gender binarity in our language and reclaims womanhood in the hands of fighters.

The focus will start in April 2022 with the project AS* PAPANGUS by the Afro-Brazilian artist Bruna Amaro.

women* in (post-)war, demystifying woman*hood and queer-feminist alliance

The second curatorial focus of Oyoun is a witness to women* in wars and against the history-making that is neglectful of experiences of the marginalized. It sheds light on the struggles of women*, whose chronicles are entangled with colonialism and decolonial movements, such as: women* in Brazil facing the threat of pervasive femicide, women* resistance fighters in the Algerian War of Independence, and “comfort women” , the survivors of forced sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army.

Numerous representations of women* in wars are symptomatic of patriarchal-colonial oppression. Mightier than a trampled flower deconstructs the fetishization of “a trampled flower” – broken and fragile but still pretty and soft, while tackling the gender binary embedded in our language and reclaiming woman*hood in the hands of women* fighters.

The public program launches on April 30 with the project AS* PAPANGUS by the Afro-Brazilian artist Bruna Amaro.