Counter Histories: Exhibition of Works by Tamara Abdul Hadi, Alan Chin, Naomieh Jovin, and Qiana Mestrich
Naomieh Jovin
Opening Reception: Thursday May 18, 2023 | 7 - 9 PM (RSVP)
Exhibition Open Hours: May 25 - July 27, 2023 | Thursdays, 3 - 6 PM
Location: 59 East 4th St, 7W | New York, NY 10003
What creative possibilities are offered by the gaps, absences, and silences in archives and historical records? How can photographs reframe histories and propose alternative narratives for the present and future?
These are among the questions explored by Magnum Foundation’s Counter Histories Fellowship, an intergenerational and transnational cohort of twenty photographers whose work intervenes in archives, official histories, and the visual landscape of memory and memorialization.
The first in a series of activations of projects from the 2022 cohort, this exhibition features works in progress by four Fellows whose work investigates personal histories. Using images sourced from family photo albums, books, magazines, and community archives, the artists reassemble layered and open-ended portrayals of place, culture, and community.
About the featured projects:
Tamara Abdul Hadi (Canada / Iraq)
Re-Imagining Return to the Marshes
Part archival, part storytelling, and part community engagement, this project asks: can histories be colonized even in imagination?
Alan Chin (United States)
Chinese American Photo Albums
A community sourced archive that explores how immigrant families—including Chin’s own—use photography to maintain connections, pass on traditions, and highlight the extraordinary courage, faith, and fortitude in their everyday lives.
Naomieh Jovin (United States)
Gwo Fanm
Exploring archival photos of Jovin’s mother parallel to original works, Jovin emphasizes a spiritual connection between her familial history and present self.
Qiana Mestrich (United States)
@WorkingWOC: Towards a History of Women of Color in the Workplace
An independent, multimedia archive that visualizes the labor history of Black women and women of color—especially those who are immigrants—in American workplaces.
Magnum Foundation is in an elevator building and has a restroom that is wheelchair accessible and gender-neutral. For access requests or questions, please contact events@magnumfoundation.org. As a small team, we will better be able to respond to requests made at least one week in advance. Masks are currently appreciated, but not required.
Counter Histories is supported by The Henry Luce Foundation. Additional support for Counter Histories is provided by The Fledgling Fund, the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon/ACLS Early Career Fellowships, the William Talbott Hillman Foundation, and Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation.