Since 2005, the Activestills photography collective has documented Israeli colonial violence and Palestinian resistance. This exhibition presents a selection from the collective’s archive built over the past two decades: from the genocide and the recurring attacks on Gaza, to the ongoing ethnic cleansing in the West Bank and the Naqab, as well as the remains of depopulated villages in historical Palestine.
Activestills’ constantly evolving online archive consists of over 55,000 photos from countless demonstrations, events, direct actions, judicial procedures, as well as of the daily reality of life and death under Israeli settler colonialism and apartheid between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. These photos are a testament to the ongoing nature of the 1948 Nakba, challenging the common perception of it as a meta event of the past. As Israel’s dispossession of Palestinians continues unabated, so does Palestinian resistance to military occupation, apartheid and settler colonialism.
The Activestills collective was established by a group of documentary photographers out of a strong conviction that photography is a vehicle for social and political change. The collective sees its work as part of the struggle against all forms of oppression, racism, and violations of the basic right to freedom.
The Finnish Museum of Photography
1st floor
The Cable Factory, Kaapeliaukio 3, Helsinki
