I found this artist, Ask?, just browsing on Flickr. Looks like s/he is based in Israel and is part of the Constructing Coexistence Movement

While this may not be the most technically impressive stencil, it is really encouraging and insipring to see people using street art to create a culture of acceptance and peace in one of the most war torn areas in the world. Using Ghandi as a symbol of peace, the Constructing Coexistence Movement has this as their descriptive statement:

Non-participation in systems of oppression is one key to constructing co-existence...for many, Mahatma Gandhi was symbolic of this struggle.
The international street art community, in comparison with the rest of the world, is living light-years ahead. Whe it comes to things like cultural acceptance, non-participation in systems of oppression, and co-existence, the public art community world-wide is ready for a change! Now is the time for the mass threat of many good examples!
Constructing Co-Existence is an international exterior paint/paste project intended to raise street art and its appreciators to the next level of authenticity.

Looks like the movement is spreading, as evidenced by the above piece by A1one out in Tehran (above), Davaca in Brasil and beyond...

Technorati Tags: Activism, Activist, Antiwar, Art, Culture, Ghandi, A1one, Graffiti, Ask?, Creating Coexistence, Peace, Street Art, Davaca, Flickr, Israel

Check out this consciousness promoting t-shirt I recently came across:

Technorati Tags: Activism, PalestineCampaign, Solidarity, Peace, CAT, Israel

The recent L.A. vs WAR event (of which Yo! What Happened to Peace? was a part of) in downtown Los Angeles was a great success thanks to the great artists, activists and visitors that made it all happen. Juxtapoz just posted this video, made by Vimby (Video In My Back Yard), to their site:

We would like to extend a big thank you to Vimby, the video is awesome. And of course, love to Juxtapoz for helping to spread the word against the war.

Technorati Tags: Activism, Activist, Antiwar, Art, Culture, Design, Exhibition, Graffiti, Music, Painting, Peace, Photograph, Photography, Politics, Political, Poster, Printmaking, Protest, Screen Printing, Stencil, Art, Streetart, Urban, War, LA vs WAR, Yo What Happened to Peace, YoWhatHappenedtoPeace, Azul 213, Mear, Los Angeles, Man One, Juxtapoz, vimby, Video In My Back Yard

The Art of Democracy, which began roughly a year and a half ago as a loose coalition of political print exhibits in New York and San Francisco, has been growing and expanding and will now be showing in over 20 venues across the United States. We posted a blog about the show earlier this year (which can be found here), but thought it was definitely worth mentioning again. With a goal to incorporate over 1,000 pieces that address the complex state of politics in this country, founders Art Hazelwood and Steven A. Fredericks already have the participation of hundreds of artists nationwide under a common mission, "to promote the current political art of our artists on a national scale during the critical period leading up to the 2008 presidential elections."

The still growing list of cities and venues hosting exhibitions this fall include Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Berkeley, CA; in Chicago, IL multiple venues including Loyola University Museum of Art; Davis, CA, Kingston, RI; Las Cruces, NM; Milwaukee, WI; Monterey, CA; Muncie, IN, Murray, KY, National Arts Club, New York, NY, Oakland, CA, Plymouth, NH; Rochester Contemporary Art Center, NY, in San Francisco, CA multiple locations, including Meridian Gallery; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Santa Cruz, CA; St. Louis, MO; Tustin CA; Twenty Nine Palms; CA, and Vashon Island, WA.

The Art of Democracy coalition is actively seeking additional exhibition organizers to the campaign whether in museums, art centers, galleries, on campuses or in cafés. A broad-based national platform for the visibility of contemporary political art will amplify the messages of civil activism, social reform, dissent, and protest.

To get involved or For more information contact Stephen A. Fredericks or Art Hazelwood at: info@artofdemocracy.org or visit www.artofdemocracy.org.

Technorati Tags: Activism, Activist, Art, Culture, Design, Exhibition, Politics, Political, Poster, Printmaking, Protest, Screen Printing, Art Hazelwood, Art, Artofdemocracy, Art of Democracy

We here at Yo! What Happened to Peace? like to keep tabs of our Yo! artists as they travel the world causing a rukus and getting up and spreading their pieces of peace. We also like to keep track of the infamous Banksy and all the trouble he manages to stay out of. As you may have heard, Banksy put on a show out in London last weekend called The Cans Festival, which featured a few artists from Yo! What Happened to Peace - Robert del Naja (3D), -Sten-, Lex & Lucamaleonte. From the looks of it, it seems like quite a success:

The event was open to all who wished to participate, the only rules being that works must be done in stencil (no freehand), must be done within the designated area and no other artists work could be sprayed over.

Technorati Tags: Cans Festival, Banksy, Graffiti, Stencil, Art, Streetart, Urban, Sten, Lex, Lucamaleonte,
London

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba: the catastrophe. The creation of the Zionist state in 1948 forced approximately 750,000 Palestinians to become refugees. Today, nearly seven million remain exiled, and those who remain on the land rightfully theirs are subjected to house arrests, food and medical shortages, lack of power or electricity, and the list of hardships goes on. Growing up under these circumstances has resulted in four and five year old children aspiring to become martyrs. My heart goes out to these children and families who have had to endure this atrocity, a scar on humanity.

For those who seek historical context of the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, check out Bad News From Israel, a book based on research from the Glasgow University Media Group which examines media coverage of the conflict and its impact on public opinion.

This poster was created by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) taken in Ramallah in 2004 by Shabtai Gold.

Technorati Tags: Nakba, Palestine, Bad News From Israel, PFLP, Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Middle East, Mid East, Zionist, Israel

As the war continues on, more and more artists, musicians and other celebrities are begining to become vocal about the need to end the violance and destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan (and many other locations to be sure). Someone recently sent me this video by Mike Doughty and the story struck me as particularly relevant. The video was made and shown to the record label, who liked it and wanted to release is the normal way. However, Mike thought the message was too important to be held up by record label official dealings and decided to set the video free on the internet for everyone to see and hear:

I truly hope all of you can be so lucky in life to listen to this man speak.  I caught the opportunity at a recent Artist Talk at the Tate Modern to coincide with his exhibition at the South London Gallery entitled Politics of the Image.  The above images – commentary on the media’s exploitation of violence and death - are from his 1994-2000 Rwanda Project, though they do not do justice to the project as a whole which can, and should be, viewed on his site alfredojaar.net.  My first encounter with his work was of the Newsweek covers he documented in '94 with accompanying text, telling the story of the Rwanda genocide which began in April of that year and ended with one million deaths, two million refugees.  Despite its severity, Newsweek – with a weekly worldwide circulation of roughly 4 million - chose not to give the story attention until August, and instead devoted cover stories to topics such as 'the politics of virtue' and 'men, women & computers.'  Mr. Jaar has done a lot since then, including a tribute 'Public Intervention' at the US / Mexico border, to commemorate those who have died and examine the notion of movement across demarcations, as well as the idea of 'home.'  On his website the project is entitled The Cloud, and it may bring some tears to your eyes, like it did mine.    

Is it possible for a photograph to change the world?

Standard Operating Procedure looks at how twelve photographs from Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison changed the war in Iraq and changed America's image of itself. And yet, a central question remains. Did the notorious Abu Ghraib photographs constitute evidence of systematic torture and abuse by the American military, or were they documenting the aberrant behavior of a few "bad apples"?

Meaningful Media and Melnitz Movies seeks to answer this question, or at least spark dialog on it, with a free sneak preview of the new Errol Morris documentary, Standard Operating Procedure:

Standard Operating Procedure plus art show featuring work from Yo! What Happened to Peace?, guest speaker and catered reception

THURSDAY, APRIL 24TH, 7:30 PM

UCLA James Bridges Theater
Free and open to the public.
Tickets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

Technorati Tags: Activism, Activist, Antiwar, Culture, Politics, Political, Poster, Film, Movie, Errol Morris, Standard Operating Procedure, Meaningful Media, Screening, UCLA, Melnitz Movies

LA vs. WAR was an incredible outpouring of creative energy directed towards spreading the anti-war and pro-peace message. Some great pix are up now on Flickr here and here and here.

Technorati Tags: Activism, Activist, Antiwar, Art, Design, Peace, Political, Poster, Printmaking, Protest, Screen Printing, Street Art, War