Political protest art
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talkpoliticsMeus' post "Blame the hippies" was the impetus for me to wax nostalgic about the 1960s and all that went with it: hippies, Vietman, racial integration, civil rights for all Americans, etc etc etc. And that got me looking at a lot of photography from the period, and I was really intrigued with the creativity of lithographs and posters. The rawness of that time is extremely hard to describe to people that didn't live through it, but some of the raw anger comes across in artwork, some of it quite graphic, too much so to even post here. You'd think that with the advent of the computer, protest poster art went the way of the dinosaur, along with 'zines' and 8-track players, but I was glad to find out, there is still an extremely vibrant design community creating beautiful protest art work. I thought I would share some of the ones I discovered, but starting with Vietnam War protests and working up to the present. Whenever any information is known about the origins of the artwork, or artist, that's provided in the byline. The more recent vintage work is pretty self explanatory. If you know or have favorite artists and or posters, please feel free to share them in the comments.
Urging support for leaders of demonstrations at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention,
the poster quotes a notorious news-photo of U.S. sprinters giving the Black Power salute
on the Olympic victory stand. The image then evoked the lone Black defendant,
bound and gagged in court. In retrospect, it reflects the impact of the
politicization of sports, and the Left's fetishism of Black militance.
Tomi Ungerer's "Eat", 1967
Anonymous. U. C. Berkley, May 1970
After the Cambodia bombing and murders at Kent State and Augusta, public silkscreen workshops
organized on dozens of campuses, producing at least 450 designs at Berkeley alone.
Here an image from Goya, of the god Kronos at terrible feast, records the primordial feeling of the moment.
Poster calling for the end of bombing raids in Cambodia, launched by Richard Nixon.
"I want out." A clever satire by the Committee to Help Unsell the War, New York City, 1971.
Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Washington, D.C., 1971
Malaquias Montoya, U. C. Berkley, 1971
Doug Minkler, 1982.
South Africa apartheid protest poster, 1985.
San Francisco's Fireworks collective organized a workshop on the administration building's
steps during the long anti-apartheid encampment at Berkeley.
Though police confiscated its equipment twice, it kept producing vibrant work.
Keith Haring's protest of apartheid in South Africa.
Keith Haring's poster for "ACT-UP", New York City, 1989.
Sam Kerson, Quebec City, Canada, 2009
Jared Davidson, New Zealand, 2009
Ismail Anil Güzelis, Turkey, 2009.
A chain-link fence made from AIDS ribbons, its visual message coupled with
the caption 'Do Not Punish' advocates for an anti-discrimination policy for
AIDS sufferers. A student submitted this poster for the
"Good 50 x 70" poster competition. It was selected as one of the best posters of 2009.
Jesus Barraza, 2011
Kathleen Judge, 2011
Russia, 2011
A trio of young activists recently arrested for altering an anti-STD billboard.
The action involved pasting Andy Warhol-like posters of Russia's political establishment
in among the cartoony monsters of Herpes, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.
The STD campaign copy asks:"Do you really want friends like these?"
Urging support for leaders of demonstrations at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention,
the poster quotes a notorious news-photo of U.S. sprinters giving the Black Power salute
on the Olympic victory stand. The image then evoked the lone Black defendant,
bound and gagged in court. In retrospect, it reflects the impact of the
politicization of sports, and the Left's fetishism of Black militance.
Tomi Ungerer's "Eat", 1967
Anonymous. U. C. Berkley, May 1970
After the Cambodia bombing and murders at Kent State and Augusta, public silkscreen workshops
organized on dozens of campuses, producing at least 450 designs at Berkeley alone.
Here an image from Goya, of the god Kronos at terrible feast, records the primordial feeling of the moment.
Poster calling for the end of bombing raids in Cambodia, launched by Richard Nixon.
"I want out." A clever satire by the Committee to Help Unsell the War, New York City, 1971.
Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam, Washington, D.C., 1971
Malaquias Montoya, U. C. Berkley, 1971
Doug Minkler, 1982.
South Africa apartheid protest poster, 1985.
San Francisco's Fireworks collective organized a workshop on the administration building's
steps during the long anti-apartheid encampment at Berkeley.
Though police confiscated its equipment twice, it kept producing vibrant work.
Keith Haring's protest of apartheid in South Africa.
Keith Haring's poster for "ACT-UP", New York City, 1989.
Sam Kerson, Quebec City, Canada, 2009
Jared Davidson, New Zealand, 2009
Ismail Anil Güzelis, Turkey, 2009.
A chain-link fence made from AIDS ribbons, its visual message coupled with
the caption 'Do Not Punish' advocates for an anti-discrimination policy for
AIDS sufferers. A student submitted this poster for the
"Good 50 x 70" poster competition. It was selected as one of the best posters of 2009.
Jesus Barraza, 2011
Kathleen Judge, 2011
Russia, 2011
A trio of young activists recently arrested for altering an anti-STD billboard.
The action involved pasting Andy Warhol-like posters of Russia's political establishment
in among the cartoony monsters of Herpes, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.
The STD campaign copy asks:"Do you really want friends like these?"
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Date: 20/5/11 08:22 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 20/5/11 12:28 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 20/5/11 08:34 (UTC)http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-100-best-signs-at-the-rally-to-restore-sanity
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Date: 20/5/11 10:59 (UTC)From the first decrees of the Great October to the blossoming of the socialist rural economy
And sorry for the spam...
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Date: 20/5/11 17:28 (UTC)Now imagine that written on a demonstration sign!
Here's a favorite
Date: 20/5/11 14:12 (UTC)By Oleg Atbashian, a writer and graphic artist from the former USSR. Born and raised in Ukraine, he used to be a teacher, a translator, a worker, a freelance journalist, and at one time a propaganda artist, creating visual agitprop for the local Party committee in a Siberian town. In 1994, he emigrated to the USA hoping to live in a country that was ruled by reason and common sense. Ironically, he now lives in New York City. He is the creator of ThePeoplesCube.com, a satirical website where he writes under the name of Red Square.
Did someone say Left-Wing war propaganda?
Date: 20/5/11 20:04 (UTC)Re: Did someone say Left-Wing war propaganda?
Date: 20/5/11 21:27 (UTC)Re: Did someone say Left-Wing war propaganda?
Date: 20/5/11 21:32 (UTC)Re: Did someone say Left-Wing war propaganda?
Date: 20/5/11 21:43 (UTC)