International Visitors Programme
From 19 February to 2 March, Lebanese artist and designer Hatem Imam travelled to Amsterdam to oversee the final stages of the installation of Past Disquiet, a documentary and exhibition currently showing at Framer Framed that explores the history of artists’ political engagement and solidarity, and to take part in the opening programme.
As the lead designer of this long-term project, he was invited by Framer Framed to take part in the Past Disquiet opening event on 27 February, as well as in the public discussion, From Archives to Exhibition Scenography: Notes on Past Disquiet, on 1 March. There he discussed his practice in terms of the working process for the exhibition design. During his stay, he also visited the Nieuwe Instituut and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam. His visit concluded with a networking dinner on 1 March, where he exchanged thoughts and ideas with artists and designers.
This networking dinner, organised by Framer Framed, brought together directors and professionals working in in contemporary art, design and graphic design in the Netherlands to share experiences with Hatem Iman, exhibition curator Rasha Salti and other guests. These included Emily Pethick (Artistic Director at the Rijksakademie), Mariana Lanari and Remco van Bladel (Archival Consciousness), Amanda Pinatih (Design Curator at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam), Inge Pollet (Artistic Director Plaatsmaken in Arnhem), Lauren Alexander (KABK in The Hague), Jhen Chen (Limestone Books), and An Onghena (Jan van Eyck Academie Printing & Publishing Lab in Maastricht).
The exhibition has toured several major institutions including Barcelona’s MACBA (2015), Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt (2016), Cape Town’s Zeitz MOCAA (2019), and, most recently, Paris’s Palais de Tokyo (2024). Each venue has offered a unique scenographic experience.
Hatem Imam (born in Sidon in 1978) is a visual artist and a graphic designer based in Beirut. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the American University of Beirut, and a Master of Fine Arts from the University for the Creative Arts in Canterbury, UK. He co-founded the design agency Studio Safar and the design and visual culture magazine, Journal Safar.