Hidden Galleries ERC Project, Study of Religions Department, School of Society, Politics and Ethics

James Kapalo

Opening 9th October - Boole Library Exhibition Space

This exhibition explores the legacy of secret police operations against and surveillance of religion in Eastern Europe through a visual cultural lens. Comprised of photographs shot or stolen by the secret police, the images on display are sometimes violent or intrusive, at other times personal or with a documentary quality. Thirty years since the end of the Cold War, the materials on display prompt questions not only about the past but also about our current relationship to surveillance and policing; Who should have control over the use of these materials today? What impact does it have to view someone through the lens of the secret police? How and why are we motivated to comply or resist when our freedoms are constrained? How resilient are we when confronted with restrictions that change the pattern of our lives? How aware are we of the surveillance we are under?