MELBOURNE—“Man’s Inhumanity to Man, makes countless thousands mourn” wrote 18th century Scottish poet Robert Burns. Humans long for happiness and peace yet in the 21st century still thousands mourn for those who are tortured and killed in many countries. However, one group of artists is speaking out against the inhumanity. They believe that art combined with action can bring about change.
The Melbourne based Artists for Human Rights and Action (AHRA) invited other artists to take part in the inaugural Visualising Human Rights Art Competition. The theme was to explore, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3 “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and personal security” and Article 4 “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude”, and also to reflect on the issue of human trafficking.
Forty works of art from four continents which highlighted human rights were exhibited in the Blak Dot Gallery in Melbourne. Kimba Thompson, co-owner of the Blak Dot Gallery was very pleased with the exhibition and said how important it was for art to be given a voice for different issues including human rights, as “art can show the bigger picture”.
Opening the exhibition, the President of AHRA, Mr Sam Carroll-Bell highlighted the need to connect people, or in some cases re-connect people to human rights – to engage artists, advocates and NGO’s in order to raise awareness, promote discussion and inspire action around some of the most challenging human rights issues of our time.
The winning entry was a hand drawn animated series ‘Superbarbara Saving the World (2012)” by Swedish artist Boonsri Tangtrongsin. The main character is an animated old style sex doll who changes herself to save the world but she is also a victim of circumstance and environment. The series reflects how we as human beings handle our problems and issues in society.
Some of the works were sculptures such as Susan Reddrop’s ‘Table Ornament for Diplomacy (2012)’ made of cast lead crystal glass translating the ‘grubby’ Abu Gharib Prison Photos into a ’refined' medium bringing the issue into table conversation.
