NYU Gallatin Galleries examines the ongoing attacks on democracies in five countries around the world in the exhibition, The End of Democracy in Five Acts, running September 9–October 14, 2024, and featuring 86 photographs and five essays by experts. Curated by the Gallatin School of Individualized Study professors Keith Miller and Dr. Lauren Walsh, the exhibition showcases the work of five photojournalists who have documented recent political events in El Salvador, Kenya, Poland, the Philippines, and India to show how legal efforts, including the courts, police, and surveillance technology, are used to undermine or dismantle democratic processes.

Miller and Walsh chose to highlight countries from four continents to emphasize the global nature of the issue. The images show how law enforcement and legal efforts–rather than non-constitutional processes such as military coups–are employed to undermine the legitimacy of elections and related democratic rights.