Fugitive Archives: A spoken future opens at MADA Gallery, Caulfield, a two-part exhibition co-curated by art collectives, Saluhan Collective and The Great Book Return. It asks: can archives tell us about our futures?

At MADA Gallery, the exhibition showcases materials on Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, borrowed exclusively from the Monash University Library and Special Collections archive. It centres the future possibilities of peoples and cultures who are acknowledged by their proximity to war, displacement and genocide, rather than their lives. The gallery is transformed into a reading room featuring books, maps, articles and travel guides, which document the resistance, achievements, culture and daily life of Arab people.

“In acknowledging our joy, we find freedom and resilience to consider our traditions, our languages, our foods, our natural landscapes, and above all, our futures. Hope that we can draw, cook, build, write or think is a powerful tool of resistance,” says Celine Saoud.

When: Thursday 9 October, 5-7pm / RSVP

Where: MADA Gallery, located on the ground floor of Building D at Monash University Caulifled Campus, 900 Dandenong Road, Caulfield East. Access via train, tram, bus, or car. Paid parking is available onsite in J carpark or along the adjacent Sir John Monash Drive or Dandenong Road.

Accessibility: MADA Gallery is step free and wheelchair and pram accessible. The gallery entrance is located on the ground level. There is easy access from Caulfield train station or the Caulfield Campus building J car park. Distance from the train station is approx. 450 metres.

Contact the host of MADA opening - Fugitive Archives: A Spoken Future