Decades of Dissent
100 million victims of communism, 10 decades of dissent. Join VOC as we bear witness to those who have stood against the destructive ideology of communism through art in our collection, “Decades of Dissent.” From interbellum Poland and post-War America, to Cold War Germany and modern-day Hong Kong, artistic expressions of dissent have been critical to combating the communist threat. Throughout the past 100 years, dissident artists wielded their pencils, pens, and brushes, often in spite of violent repression, to depict the uncomfortable truths of communism that words struggle to describe. Their works immortalize the horrors of communism in practice, the despair of its victims, and the bravery of its critics.
Though it has been thirty years since the Iron Curtain was cast open and the Berlin Wall reduced to rubble, billions of people across the world are enshrouded in the dark shadow of communism, and dissident artists remain steadfast in their pursuit of holding communism to account for the misery it has proven to sow time and time again. Now more than ever, the free world should reflect on their works, and let them inspire us to affirm our commitment to those around the world, past and present, who toil under communist oppression: that no matter the depth of the darkness surrounding them, they shall never be forgotten.
