“Welcoming Immigrants” sign at the gallery entrance.

By Hannes Remmert

#RESIST, an art exhibition at Nave Gallery on 53 Chester St. in Davis Square, addresses the current political climate in the United States since the inauguration of Donald Trump as president and the protests that have followed. Curated by Susan Berstler and Greg Cook, the politically driven exhibition opened on April 27 and closes its doors on May 27.

How did they approach this topic through art and what is their motivation behind the project? Susan Berstler, a visual artist, curator, and arts producer, has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally and had the original idea for #RESIST, Cook said.

Greg Cook is a renowned arts reporter and critic for WBUR.org whose writing has appeared in several news outlets including The Boston Globe, The Boston Phoenix, and Art New England. While organizing festivals such as the Tiny Great Outdoors Festival or Somerville’s Pity Party he has published pictures in the Nickelodeon Magazine and The Believer. For several years, he has been doing photographic documention of the protests.

According to Cook, Susan Berstler’s motivation was to find an answer to the question “How do we use art to harness people’s anger for good?“

“Not My President” photograph by Lee Kilpatrick.

“The art in the exhibition reflects and expresses the great upset that many people feel about the nation’s political situation right now—and the ways in which some folks are pushing back,“ Cook said.

Originally an exhibition “inspired by historical shows of art that had been banned or censored by repressive governments“ was considered by Berstler. Until they decided to call the show #RESIST, the two curators also thought about an “exhibition of protest signs or political cartoons or something about Trump’s hair.”

After Berstler put out a call for submissions, the interest among artists in being a part of the show went wild. According to Cook, over 230 artists from the U.S. and Europe sought to exhibit their art at #RESIST. Of course, there was not enough space for all of them. Therefore, Berstler and Cook ended up reviewing the submissions choosing the best fitting ones.

When entering the building, visitors get welcomed with a sign that says “Welcoming immigrants since 1842 – Somerville” based on a typical place name sign. Walking by dozens of photos of people standing next to the sign, one can see the widespread support of Somerville being a sanctuary city.

Then, one enters the three rooms of the exhibition stocked with photographs, paintings, and other pieces of art. Their subjects range from “feminism to environmentalism to immigration to the politics of bathrooms and gender,” as Cook explained. However, they all have the same target: President Donald J. Trump, his beliefs and his policies.

The petticoat that is constantly being worked on.

The selected artists’ approaches vary from blunt and “directly insulting Trump” to more subtle pieces of art, as Cook pointed out. A portrait of Trump made out of Tampons or simply a painted middle finger are examples of the former.  A white petticoat constantly being worked on or photographs of protesters are examples of the latter. Just next to the petticoat people read texts by women about art, studio practice, feminist theory, queer theory, and the history of handwork, according to Cook.

Nevertheless, the exhibition does not only express objection to Donald Trump, it also offers future prospects. “10 Things You Can Do in Troubling Time Like These” is a brochure by Nanette Wylde, aiming to make people avoid being overwhelmed by alternative facts and aware of how to show their opposition in the most effective ways possible.

The show lets visitors feel the anger and despair of liberal America. More importantly, it makes one think about what is going on in this country and about how to move on.

For more information visit: http://navegallery.org/wp/resist/