Frames of Resistance

Frames of Resistance is a joint exhibition with images from the Palestine solidarity movement in Scandinavia since October 2023. Amanda is one of three women photographers showing photos at this exhibition, the first of its kind in Stockholm.

In photographing the Palestine solidarity movement over the course of last year, Amanda captured some of the many layers of resistance that exist within. Demonstrators of all ages and backgrounds protest first and foremost against Israel's genocide, occupation and apartheid of Palestinians. In doing so, the neocolonial structures that govern the West and result in grave inequalities have also come to light for many, leading to the second layer of resistance - that against repression. The Palestine movement is portrayed as a threat to democracy, which normalises increased police violence against protestors, censorship, lost employment due to engagement, street harassment, doxxing of activists and racism in all its forms (ex. islamophobia).

Activists are dehumanised as a byproduct of this. As governments around the world shirk their obligations to international law and conventions, members of the movement are told to turn a blind eye and ignore the extreme suffering just a scroll away from them on social media. This third layer, then, is about resisting the dehumanisation of the self and others, as well as the accompanying loss of empathy. To stop seeing the humanity in other people means we chip away at our own until nothing is left. This demands an active practice of empathy and community against the coldness and detachment that people are encouraged to adopt.

This exhibition bears witness to these layers of resistance, with each photo fitting into one or more of the layers above. I encourage you to take a moment and try to place them - how do these demonstrators speak to you? What other layers of resistance exist that are perhaps invisible at a protest?