with Ed Kashi and Franco Pagetti
April 20 – September 10, 2017
Tropenmuseum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
How do you convey through images the cultural-historical importance of one of the oldest cities in the world? A city that has been in the news almost continuously for many months now because of the war raging there. This focus inevitably leads to a skewed and incomplete picture: the city is reduced to a hotbed of violence and its former inhabitants are reduced to a word: ‘refugees’. It is completely impossible for any exhibition to capture the visceral emotions of war.
In spite of such limitations, the Tropenmuseum wants to show its visitors a different view of this remarkable city. A scale model of Aleppo, an artifact from the museum’s own collection, is at the heart of this exhibition. Photographs from renowned photographers such as Stanley Greene, Eddy van Wessel and VII’s Ed Kashi and Franco Pagetti, picture postcards, and film clips give an impression of the city both before and during the war.
Former inhabitants of Aleppo will be giving guided tours of the exhibition at set times, sharing their stories and engaging visitors in conversation.
