Reply:Forward: An Art Exhibition by Young Artists Exploring Hope and Future Scenarios

The exhibition 'Reply:Forward' explores themes of hope, transformation, and the future through the work of young artists under 35. Co-curated by Caithlin Courtney Chong, Thierno Deme, and Mees Elias van Zanten, it invites viewers to reflect on the past, engage with the present, and imagine innovative future scenarios amidst a constellation of global crises.

Reply:Forward: A reply to the present, a forward to us all (formerly No Time To Despair) is a significant art exhibition where three young co-curators, Caithlin Courtney Chong, Thierno Deme, and Mees Elias van Zanten, aim to plant seeds for a hopeful future. The exhibition's core mission is to guide the public through a process of mourning the past, inspiring present-day adjustments, and imagining innovative future scenarios. It showcases the work of artists under 35, not merely as emerging talents, but because this younger generation is particularly shaped by a specific constellation of crises that profoundly influences their present and future. The co-curators, belonging to this same generation, engage in a dialogue with their peers, artists who share similar struggles and hopes, believing this is a crucial moment to understand how young people envision hope and transformation. The exhibition confronts the complex realities of our time, including wars, globalization, hypercapitalism, systematic human rights violations, epidemics, and disastrous climate change. It posits that these interconnected crises form a deep, shared experience, influencing power structures and our collective future. The co-curators emphasize that moving towards a hopeful future requires visualizing the unknown and taking collective action, with art serving as a powerful medium for this endeavor. The exhibition features 21 artists, including Ahmad Mallah, Augustina Lavickaite, Charmaine de Heij, Chongjin Chen, Clinton Kabena, Cristal De La Cruz, Daeun Lim, Davitha van de Kuilen, Elena Zecchin, Ellen Yiu, Emmy van de Grift, Hodan Omar Elmi, Karmel Sabri, Lorena Rode, Marc Paulusma, Marian Genet, Qiaochu Guo, Rebecca Lillich Krüger, Sasa Hara Ghanem-Chaney, Simon Pillaud, and Yang-ha, all of whom reflect on hope, the future, and their role in it, aiming to leave the audience feeling aware, hopeful, and activated.

An accompanying activities program with dinners, workshops, and guided tours is available. Specific ticketing details for each location are not provided on this page, but visitors are directed to check the respective venue websites for more information. Note that the exhibition may have specific closures on certain dates, such as April 5th and April 26th, 2025.