Beyond Walls explores the intertwined histories shaped by the impact of colonization and imperialism on peoples, land and cultures. Agency, co-creation, reciprocity, relation building and empowerment form core pillars of Beyond Walls’ approach.

As a diasporic collective situated in the Netherlands, Beyond Walls collaborates with both institutions and communities to amplify marginalized stories beyond dominant narratives. They curate through a diasporic lens and connect this positionality to the bigger story of resisting colonial erasures through research, storytelling and art.

Beyond Walls centers the impact of Dutch/European colonialism, as well as questions on political and institutional responsibility and accountability. This way they address the entanglement of personal stories, colonial history and contemporary realities.

By delving into their individual as well as collective relations to imperial and colonial legacies and fostering active participation, they aim to connect to peoples and their stories worldwide.

As a collective Beyond Walls strives for long-term partnerships and structural impact both within and beyond the walls of institutions.

This lecture is co-organised with Jate Bleeker and Wouter Pocornie, tutors in the studio Dekolonisatie van het Paleis (Decolonisation of the Palace).