Why does one teenager become a member of a nationalist action group, while the other frees mink from their cages deep in the night? Why does one turn out to be a train hijacker, while the other opts for a life as a peaceful, professional revolutionary?
Every young person gets angry sometimes. Rebellion seems inextricably linked to becoming an adult. In essence, it comes down to taking (over) responsibility for yourself and for the world you live in. Yet young activists are often dismissed as irresponsible “radicals”.

A N G R Y  reflects on radicalisation in our society, its nature and its representation in the media. The project deals with these questions in the form of an exhibition, a website, an iApp, school workshops, debates, lectures and a film programme.

Radicalisation has been a hot topic since 9/11 and radicalism is regarded as negative by definition. But born out of idealism, isn’t it often also a force for social change? Who is radical and who decides? Has there really been an increase in radical behaviour among young people in our current society or is it ‘only’ a matter of distorted representation? Mainstream media reports seldom address young people’s motivations.

The multimedia project A N G R Y was presented as an exhibition, website, educational modules and the debate The Day of Anger. The work of 31 international artists is juxtaposed with statements made in the media by governments, politicians, journalists, scientists, and activists over the past 50 years (1960 - 2010). The central part of A N G R Y is formed by ten video portraits of (former) Dutch radicals, differing in age from 19 to 67 – who raise essential questions on their motivations. Workshops with young people resulted in video clips, a photo project, and graffiti. For the website, a game was developed “How radical are you?”, as a tool to trigger discussion amongst students as well as visitors.

A N G R Y shows that radicalism exists in all ages, and all cultures. Looking back on history, one notices that angry, protesting youths are often considered foolish utopians, but that their ideals frequently became the norm later on. This is why A N G R Y is just as much an ode to being able to devote yourself uncompromisingly to a good cause as it is a mirror for those who have lost their youthful idealism. Because isn’t indifference more radical than engagement?

ANGRY – YOUNG AND RADICAL was presented at the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam from January till May 2011

Participating artists:

Annette Behrens [1979, DE] | Nisrine Boukhari [1980, SY] | Mohamed Bourouissa [1978, ALG]| Daya Cahen [1969, NL] | Yvon Chabrowski [1978, DE] | Ad van Denderen [1943, NL] | Rineke Dijkstra [1959, NL] | Willie Doherty [1959, IE] | Eva Frapiccini [1979, IT] | Jasper Groen [1974, NL] | Johan Grimonprez [1962, BE] | Susan van Hengstum [1980, NL] | Runo Lagomarsino [1977, SE] & Johan Tirén [1973, SE] | Eva Leitolf [1966, DE] | Aernout Mik [1962, NL] | Mirko Martin [1976, DE] | Monica Nouwens [1964, NL] | Corinne Englert [1977, CH] & Isabel Morgen [1978, DE] & Cora Piantoni [1975, DE] | Sarah Pickering [1972, UK] | Adriaan van der Ploeg [1984, NL] | Astrid Proll [1947, DE] | Julian Röder [1981, DE] | Allan Sekula [1951, USA] | Jules Spinatsch 1964, CH] | Joel Sternfeld [1944, USA] Ari Versluis [1961, NL] & Ellie Uyttenbroek [1965, NL] | Yumosh [1990, TR] | Tobias Zielony [1973, DE]