AFTERMATH

AFTERMATH vividly blends human rights issues and Sustainability, the Galleries theme for the 2022-2023 academic year. Drawing inspiration from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, the Galleries and the Human Rights Institute recognizes the importance of a sustainable world. AFTERMATH brings to the table, discussions on nearly all seventeen Sustainable Development Goals including poverty, hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, and peace, and justice and strong institutions. War and conflict cause suffering, violence, and social unrest, destabilize institutions and disrupt the economy. In a global economy, the war in one region creates a ripple effect across all nations. Isolated destruction is no longer the way of the world. Following conflict and war, displaced persons are forced to migrate to another country. Transportation and digital infrastructure are often times destroyed or badly damaged creating economic havoc. Food distribution and access to medical assistance are deeply impacted, leaving people without proper nutrition and health care.

AFTERMATH offers viewers the chance to see what happens in the wake of war. It provides a moment of reflection that leads to a deeper understanding of the human connection. To live in a sustainable world means to have awareness of the root causes of humanity's issues and the willingness to make the world a better place for all. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

The Galleries at Kean and the Human Rights Institute honor the participating artists from around the world who captured moments of hardship, death, survival, and happiness amidst the chaos.

Participating Artists
Rodrigo Abd, Juan Arredondo, Nina Berman, Pep Bonet, Andrea Bruce, Monika Bulaj, Christopher Capozziello, Bharat Choudhary, Lara Ciarabellini, Kathryn Cook, Tinka Dietz, Gwenn Dubourthoumieu, Philippe Dudouit, Christine Fenzl, , Danny Wilcox Frazier, Stanley Greene, Natela Grigalashvili, Jim Goldberg, Elizabeth Herman, Jessica Hines, Olga Ingurazova, Boryana Katsarova, Isabel Kiesewetter, Andrew Lichtenstein, Luca Locatelli, Martino Lombezzi, Paolo Marchetti, Diana Markosian, , Brian Mccarty, Justyna Mielnikiewicz, Davide Monteleone, Maria Morina, Carlos Javier Ortiz, Louie Palu, Adam Patterson, Javad Parsa, Helena Schatzle, Andrew Stanbridge, Simon Brann Thorpe, Ami Vitale, Oksana Yushko, Michaël Zumstein

About the Curators

Sara Terry is an award-winning documentary photographer and filmmaker. She is also the Founder and Artistic Director of The Aftermath Project, a non-profit grant and educational program that supports photographers covering post-conflict stories and disseminates their work. The Aftermath Project develops new conversations in the photojournalism and documentary photography worlds about the importance of aftermath issues. An accomplished speaker on aftermath and visual literacy issues, her lectures include the TedX talk “Storytelling in a Post-Journalism World.”

Teun van der Heijden is a graphic designer and co-founder of Heijdens Karwei, a graphic design agency, and a professor of Visual Design and Hybrid Media at the LUCA School of Arts in Genk, Belgium.