Transitions
About the Project
Transitions began with a simple conviction: communities emerging from violence do not have to face the work of repair alone. Connecting artists and audiences in Chicago, Bogotá, Goma, and Sarajevo, the project used photography to place distinct experiences of conflict, memory, justice, and recovery in conversation with one another. With major support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, creative teams across the four cities collaborated on an exhibition that asked not only what justice looks like after harm, but what communities might learn from one another as they rebuild.
At its heart, Transitions reflects a Global Majority way of seeing the world: no community is peripheral, and no place has a monopoly on wisdom. Challenges that feel intensely local—violence, displacement, mistrust, historical trauma—are often part of a larger human story. Looking across borders allows solutions to travel, too: lessons learned in Bogotá may speak to Chicago; experiences in Sarajevo may illuminate Goma. Through visual storytelling, Transitions created space for communities to recognize themselves in one another, exchange hard-won knowledge, and imagine more just futures together.
Martin Lukongo is a Congolese photographer and designer based in Goma.
Sophia Nahli Allison is a filmmaker, photographer, and artist.
Juan Arredondo is a documentary and editorial photographer based in New York City.
Midhat Poturovic is a Bosnian photojournalist based in Sweden.
CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS
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June 26, 2017
WARM Festival. In partnership with Post-Conflict Research Center
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February 2, 2017
World Summit of Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, Bogotá
In partnership with Centro Nacional de la Memoria Histórica. -
December 15, 2016
625 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
Special thanks to speakers Martine Granby, photographer and documentarian; Amanda Kleintop, PhD candidate, Northwestern University; Sophia Nahli Allison, Transitions US photographer. -
December 14, 2016 Bessie Coleman Library
Special thanks to speakers Janet Smith, PhD, Vorhees Center for Neighborhood and Community Improvement, UIC; Ryan Spangler, Heartland Alliance; Jessica Darrow, PhD, School of Social Service Administration, University of Chicago; and moderator Roberta Feldman, M.Arch., PhD, Professor Emerita, UIC School of Architecture. -
December 7, 2016
Conrad Sulzer Regional Library
Special thanks to speakers Kim Theriault, PhD, Art History, Dominican University; Leslie Harris, PhD, Department of History, Northwestern University; Elizabeth Lozano, PhD, School of Communication, Loyola University; Clement Adibe, PhD, Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies, DePaul University. -
November 19, 2016
625 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
Special thanks to speakers Steve Bynum, WBEZ Worldview; Linda Lutton, WBEZ Education Reporter; Kate Masur, Northwestern University; Janet Smith, University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Urban Planning and Policy; Jeanette Samuels, Samuels & Associates, Ltd. and moderators Sonya Anderson, Leading Educators; Susan Gzesh, Pozen Center for Human Rights, University of Chicago. -
November 16, 2016
Rogers Park Public Library
Special thanks to speakers Peter Magui Bul, former Sudanese Lost Boy and Katherine Kaufka Walts, Director of Loyola’s Center for the Human Rights of Children. -
November 12, 2016
West Pullman Library
Special thanks to speakers Vanessa Smith, Executive Director, South Side Help Center; Jennifer Brier, Director of Gender and Women’s Studies, UIC; and moderator Anna Maitland, Schuette Clinical Fellow in Health and Human Rights, NU Law. -
October 4, 2016
Carter G. Woodson Regional Library
Special thanks to speakers Dr. Lynne Muhammad, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School; Ashley Cureton Turner, University of Chicago; Amy Maglio, Women’s Global Education Project; and moderator Sonya Anderson, Leading Educators. -
September 29, 2016
625 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
Special thanks to speakers David Peyton, Northwestern University; Helena María Olea Rodríguez, University of Illinois at Chicago; Edin Hajdarpasic, Loyola University Chicago; Leslie M. Harris, Northwestern University. -
September 15, 2016
625 N. Kingsbury St., Chicago
In partnership with The Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the WARM Foundation; Centro Nacional De Memoria Histórica; Yole!Africa.
Public Programs
Transitions explores post-conflict societies and the concept of transitional justice in these contexts. This introductory video provides more context and information about this project.
Transitions introduction (4 min.)
Introduction video
All of our exhibitions are designed to tour and can be adapted to a broad spectrum of venue types and sizes.
We are happy to provide step-by-step support for hosting this exhibit.
Contact us to learn more about bringing this exhibit to your community.
BRING THIS EXHIBIT TO YOUR COMMUNITY
Transitions installation in Chicago
PROJECT-ERA REPORTING
PROJECT-ERA CONTEXT
The International Center for Transitional Justice
The International Center for Transitional Justice is a hub for information about transitional justice as a concept, but also in individual post-conflict societies
resources
Partners
Transitions was produced in partnership with:
The Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) and the WARM Foundation, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Centro Nacional De Memoria Histórica, Bogotá, Colombia
Yole!Africa, Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo
Funders
Transitions was generously supported in part by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation International Connections Fund
support for this project
more of our work
