A Story named Joy marks the first gathering of NEST, a transnational network of non-profit organizations, collectives, and independent structures working at the intersection of visual arts, activisms, and gender studies, created at the initiative of AWARE: Archives of Women Artists, Research and Exhibitions. It brings these non-institutional voices from diverse cultural contexts to enter in dialogue with the Frenchaudiences, focusing on practices that underscore the importance of collective work as a feminist strategy.

The title of the event, co-produced with the Palais de Tokyo, honors feminist filmmaker, composer and writer Trinh T. Minh-ha who participates as a keynote speaker. It celebrates the joy of sharing and listening to stories that rely on our collective telling and remembering*. Building on several months of exchange within three working groups, NEST members will present their work, their archiving practices and their approaches to highlight women and non-binary artists in the contemporary art worlds and the histories of art. The objective of this process is to unite forces and explore alternative methods of creating and disseminating knowledge, rethinking art through a feminist lens.

The discussions conclude with a performance by Myriam Mihindou, the 2022 AWARE prize recipient, in dialogue with her solo exhibition “Praesentia”, jointly curated and produced by the Palais de Tokyo and the Crac Occitanie (Sète), co-produced by AWARE in collaboration with DCA (French National Network of Contemporary Art Centres).

The complete program is available on the AWARE website: https://awarewomenartists.com/en/nos_evenements/a-story-named-joy/?from=search

This network is made possible through support from the Terra Foundation for American Art.