Naeem Mohaiemen's New Film Explores Memorialization of Kent State and Jackson State Killings

Naeem Mohaiemen's new 90-minute, three-channel videowork 'THROUGH A MIRROR, DARKLY' juxtaposes the 1970 Kent State and Jackson State shootings, examining how historical narratives evolve. The work, presented by Artangel at Albany House in London from 21 September to 9 November, mixes archival footage with interviews and location visits. Mohaiemen, a US-based Bangladeshi artist, focuses on the act of remembering rather than reconstructing events. The film highlights disparities in commemoration: Kent State victims, who were white, received more attention than the Black victims at Jackson State, James Green and Phillip Gibbs. Mohaiemen connects these events to broader themes of left-wing melancholy, activism, and the failure of progressive moments to catalyze lasting change. The work features figures like Mark Lencl, a former Weather Underground member now working with POOR News Network. Mohaiemen, who teaches at Columbia University, draws parallels to current campus unrest, including pro-Palestine encampments, but insists the film is not a direct commentary on the present.