From the psychedelic typography used in 'Make Love Not War' posters of the 60s, to the solitary raised fist, take a long, hard look at some of the most memorable and striking protest artwork from across the world and throughout history. With an emphasis on design, analyse each artwork to understand how colour, symbolism, technique, typography and much more play an important role in communication, and learn about some of the most influential historical movements.
The chant of 'Azadi!' - Urdu for 'Freedom!' - is the slogan of the freedom struggle in Kashmir against what Kashmiris see as the Indian Occupation. Ironically, it also became the chant of millions on the streets of India against the project of Hindu Nationalism. Even as Arundhati Roy began to ask what lay between these two calls for Freedom - a chasm or a bridge? - the streets fell silent. Not only in India, but all over the world. The Coronavirus brought with it another, more terrible understanding of Azadi, making a nonsense of international borders, incarcerating whole populations, and bringing the modern world to a halt like nothing else ever could. In this series of electrifying essays, Arundhati Roy challenges us to reflect on the meaning of freedom in a world of growing authoritarianism. The essays include meditations on language, public as well as private, and on the role of fiction and alternative imaginations in these disturbing times. The pandemic, she says, is a portal between one world and another. For all the illness and devastation it has left in its wake, it is an invitation to the human race, an opportunity to imagine another world.
Banksy is an England-based graffiti artist, political activist and film director of unverified identity. His satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humour with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy's work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Observers have noted that his style is similar to Blek le Rat, who began to work with stencils in 1981 in Paris. Banksy says that he was inspired by "3D", a graffiti artist who later became a founding member of Massive Attack, an English musical group. Banksy displays his art on publicly visible surfaces such as walls and self-built physical prop pieces.
Bed Zine Issue Three is a curated selection of art and writing by disabled creatives from around the world. It explores the complex relationships that the contributors have with their beds through poetry, nonfiction writing, ceramic and textile works, illustration, painting, and more.
Created & Edited by Tash King
Graphic Design by Mia Navarro
Cover Art by Timothy Bair
Issue 3 features the work of Kwame Daniels, Annie Lee, sister starling 恖霝, Kate Haywood, Lauren Turner, Bonnie Hancell, Brian Spies, Alex Hernandez, D Dust, Ivan Helen Schremf, Df Parizeau, Michaela Coffield, Charlie Fitz, Zo Jonker, Phiroozeh Petigara, Shelby Seier, Ania Gitelmakher, Kean O’Brien, Angelica Aranda, Gabby DaSilva, Robin Kinzer, Poppy Nash, Leah Broadwell, Sheena Maria Piedade, Aiya Klempt and Gemma Gore.
An urgent challenge to the prevailing moral order from one of the freshest, most compelling voices in radical politics today
Being Numerous shatters the mainstream consensus on politics and personhood, offering in its place a bracing analysis of a perilous world and how we should live in it. Beginning with an interrogation of what it means to fight fascism, Natasha Lennard explores the limits of individual rights, the criminalization of political dissent, the myths of radical sex, and the ghosts in our lives. At once politically committed and philosophically capacious, Being Numerous is a revaluation of the idea that the personal is political, and situates as the central question of our time - How can we live a non-fascist life?
Sethe is now miles away from Sweet Home - the farm where she was kept as a slave for many years. Unable to forget the unspeakable horrors that took place there, Sethe is haunted by the violent spectre of her dead child, the daughter who died nameless and whose tombstone is etched with a single word, 'Beloved'. A tale of brutality, horror and, above all, love at any cost, Beloved is Toni Morrison's enduring masterpiece and best-known work.
Nicola Streeten's little boy, Billy, was two years old when he died following heart surgery for problems diagnosed only 10 days earlier. 13 years later, able to finally revisit a diary written at the time, Streeten began translating her notes into a graphic novel. The result, a gut-wrenchingly sad retrospective reflection from a 'healed' perspective, is an unforgettable portrayal of human responses to trauma.
After a childhood in foster care, Bitter is thrilled to have been chosen to attend Eucalyptus, a special school where she can focus on her painting surrounded by other creative teens. But outside this haven, the streets are filled with protests against the deep injustices that grip the town of Lucille. Bitter’s instinct is to stay safe within the walls of Eucalyptus – but her friends aren’t willing to settle for a world that the adults say is ‘just the way things are’. Pulled between old friendships, her creative passion, and a new a romance, Bitter isn’t sure where she belongs – in the art studio or in the streets. And if she does find a way to help the revolution while being true to who she is, she must also ask: at what cost?