Activestills street exhibitions was initiated right at the collective's inception. Our goal is to use photography as an instrument to create awareness on topics that we aspire to change socially or politically. Motivated by the urge to address individuals and groups with our work, we try to reach wider audiences in independent, unfiltered, and direct ways.
The use of city walls as a platform to exhibit our work generated from this agenda. Despite changes in recent years due to the rise of civil journalism and social media, it still seems that what isn’t shown in the mainstream media does not recieve the adequate attention; therefore, it is missing from public debate. By hanging photographs on city walls we try to break this cycle.
We believe that the public space is half way between state and civil society, where there is a possibility for a free exchange of ideas and opinions by all. However, in our age, public space is controlled largely by market forces, which perpetuate differences in power and social relations. As a result, the borders between the private and the public, the subject and society, dissolve. We wish to advocate for public discourse and free criticism. Public opinion could then influence decision-making processes and provide a space for social transformation.
