Exhibition Design: Resisting Slavery

Exhibit panel titled 'Resisting Slavery' with a map on the left and historical photographs and text on the right.
A green informational poster with Dutch and English titles that read "Resisting Slavery." The poster contains illustrations of a ship, a raised fist, speech bubbles with question marks, a scroll, and a human head with glasses. The section titles are in Dutch with English translations: "Introductie" (Introduction), "Opstanden" (Rebellions), "Afschaffers en verdedigers" (Abolitionists and defenders), "Na 1863" (After 1863), and "Reflectie" (Reflection).
Exhibition display about rebellions with red and white panels, text in multiple languages, historical photos, illustrations of political unrest, and a large black-and-white mural of a soldier or revolutionary figure on the right.
Exhibit panel titled 'Abolitionists and defenders,' featuring historical images and text about the abolition of slavery, with portraits of key figures and a timeline of historical events.
Information display with historical text, photos, and a black-and-white portrait of a young boy, commemorative wreaths, and a crowd gathered at a memorial site.
Dark green exhibition wall displaying multiple quotes in white text, with a stack of books on a black pedestal below them, including a visible book titled "Slavery" by Anton de Kom.

The challenge
How do you introduce a new museum through a pop-up exhibition on resistance and the abolition of slavery in a way that’s accessible and inspiring for diverse audiences? The traveling exhibition Resisting Slavery from the National Slavery Museum aimed to spark dialogue, build curiosity for the new museum, and foster a deeper understanding of these critical historical themes.

The gig
As the graphic designer, I collaborated with the Resistance Museum and the National Slavery Museum on a pop-up exhibition that would travel across the Netherlands and the islands within the Dutch Kingdom after its debut. The exhibition needed panels that were adaptable to regional and international venues while engaging visitors with heavy themes and inviting them to look at the abolition of slavery in a new way.

Behind the scenes
I designed an exhibition system suitable for museum display and adapted the visuals for smaller presentation rooms:

  • Created thematic iconography to introduce the exhibition’s core themes.

  • Designed floor stickers to guide visitors through the space and reinforce the narrative flow.

  • Adapted all designs for mobility, ensuring they could be effectively implemented across various locations and spatial configurations.

The impact
The exhibition successfully traveled to multiple venues, with designs that maintained visual coherence and thematic clarity regardless of location. It invited visitors to enter into dialogue with one another about what the abolition of slavery means and to look at the topic through a new, modern lens that allows vulnerability, questions, and critique.

View ALL Projects   ➛