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Art as Witness is a photo exhibition curated by Parthiv Shah and jointly conceived of by CMAC and Amnesty International, India. The exhibition features images by eminent photographers from all over the world on the harsh realities of day to day life as experienced by ordinary people in South Asian zones of conflict from India to Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran, Myanmar and Bangladesh. As the main curator of the exhibition, CMAC is excited at the variety of good work on the South Asian region which has been coming in of late. It is our ardent hope that we are able to mainstream more voices into this fight for social justice and dignity for all. This extends our work as a leading non-profit strategic communications and advocacy agency working on human rights, social justice, public interest and pluralism.
Art as Witness was initiated in the context of the ‘Art for Activism’ project sponsored by Amnesty International, India. It premiered at the World Wildlife Fund photo gallery, New Delhi, as part of the ‘Voices of Dignity’ event celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 60th anniversary of the Declaration on 10th December 2008 and World Dignity Day on 5th December 2008, taken together, provided the context for the launching, by Amnesty International, India, of the International Week of Justice Festival from 5-10 December 2008 in New Delhi. It took the form of a series of human rights activities which engaged with key human rights’ concerns such as the right to life with dignity, a world free of torture and fear, freedom of expression and non violence through various media such as international cinema, photography, theatre, music and discussions.
Art as Witness was released as a book at the Goethe Institut, New Delhi, on 8th December 2010. The book was jointly edited by Parthiv Shah and Sana Das. The book release was accompanied by a panel discussion on the topic ‘From Art to Politics: Frames of Freedom’. The panelists included eminent personalities such as Prashant Bhushan, lawyer and civil rights activist, and Ashis Nandy, sociologist and writer. Art as Witness in the form of a book hopes to strengthen global campaigns for a world without fear and torture by reaching out to a wider and more diverse audience.
Art as Witness was exhibited in April 2011 at the Goethe Institut, New Delhi. It has now traveled to UCLA in the United States where it will run till December 2011. The opening of the exhibition at UCLA was accompanied by a lecture on photography and activism delivered by Parthiv Shah as part of UCLA’s Chew On This lecture series.
Art as Witness, edited by Parthiv Shah and Sana Das, Tulika Books, New Delhi, 2010.
Art as Witness, photo exhibition, curated by Parthiv Shah
Key Contributors:
Abdul Rahman Roslan (DRIK-Bangladesh), Daniel Pepper (USA), Gowhar Fazili (India), Harikrishna Katragadda (India), Inder Salim (India), K.M. Asad (DRIK-Bangladesh), Parthiv Shah (India), Salima Hashmi (Pakistan), Sara Rahbar (Iran), Shahidul Alam (DRIK-Bangladesh), Shahzad Noorani (DRIK-Bangladesh), Sohrab Hura (India), Sonia Jabbar (India), Suvendu Chatterji (India)
Swapan Nayak (India)
CMAC - Centre for Media and Alternative Communication is happy to be a part of "Voices of Dignity", an important event, which also celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the main curator of the Photo Exhibition and the accompanying book we are excited at the variety of good work that has come in from the region. It is our ardent hope that we are able to mainstream more voices into this fight for social justice and dignity for all. This extends our work as a leading non profit strategic communications and advocacy agency working on human rights, social justice, public interest and pluralism.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UHDR) has been an affirmation of the universality and invisibility of Human rights. The 60th Anniversary of UDHR on 10th December 2008 and the World Dignity Day on 5th December 2008, taken together, proivde the context for Amnesty International India to launch a week of human right activities from 5-10 December in the form of International Week of Justice Festival (IWJF). IWJF draws upon Amnesty's Art for Activism endeavour in order to promote human rights awareness and action through creative, performative art with active involvement of artists, educators, cultural organisations, youth and media. Through international cinema, photo exhibition, theatre, music, talks and discussion IWJF takes up the key concerns of right to life with dignity, a world free of torture and fear, freedom of expression and non violence enshrined in the UDHR.
Photo Exhibition is curated by Parthiv Shah and jointly conceived by CMAC and Amnesty International India, the exhibition is a collection of images contributes by some of the finest photographers in India and parts of South Asia.
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http://southasia.oneworld.net/todaysheadlines/giving-dignity-to-suppressed-voices/
http://southasia.oneworld.net/event/celebrate-human-rights-through-art/?searchterm=amnesty%20International
for more info log onto www.amnesty.org.in
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