50 years of cultural protest

The past years have seen some of the biggest protests in recent history. There have been the women’s rights protests in the US, the upcoming student march to protest gun control and the near social revolution that took place in socialist Venezuela.

These protests around the world are born of the same principle of the movements that came out of the 1960’s, with May 1968 still regarded by many in Europe as a cultural turning point, a symbol of freedom and revolt against institutions and traditions that were too conservative or considered defunct.

It was fifty years ago during these demonstrations for change that Brussels experienced it’s very own movement. BOZAR Centre for Fine Arts was the hotbed of artistic activism, as from 28 May until 8 June of that year, artists and students occupied the central hall.

And so, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of this event, BOZAR is holding a year-long exhibition showcasing the global resistance movements of the sixties and looking to today for parallels that mimic the same message of change, but examining which forms of cultural protest are impacting today and how have they changed to fit the times?

BOZAR is exploring these movements with a plethora of arts that are used to inspire change; with a comprehensive programme of exhibitions, concerts, debates, workshops and planned and unplanned encounters, the themes of change echo through the halls