Resistance Is. . .
June 29–Sept 2, 2007
Gordon Parks, Black Panther Members at Chapter Headquarters in San,1969. Gelatin silver print,9 5/16 × 13 1/16 in. (23.7 × 33.2 cm)
Rooted in the Whitney's strong holdings of American photography from the 1960s to the present, and expanding on the theme of social engagement in the era of liberation and dissent considered in Summer of Love, Resistance Is . . . considers the relationship between historical narratives and the conditions of social agency prevalent today. Varied reformist tendencies are represented in order to question the role of activism in our fractured present moment. Beyond mere reproductions of spectacles past, the works in this exhibition confront the makers, the modes, and the mediums of counteraction. Images of demonstrations, portraits of prominent reformers, and other interpretations and strategies of resistance are assembled to expose the breadth of our revolutionary consciousness.