Engaging with art is not simply a solitary event. The arts and culture represent one of the few areas in our society where people can come together to share an experience even if they see the world in radically different ways. The important thing is not that we agree about the experience that we share, but that we consider it worthwhile sharing an experience at all. In art and other forms of cultural expression, disagreement is accepted and embraced as an essential ingredient. In this sense, the community created by arts and culture is potentially a great source of inspiration for politicians and activists who work to transcend the polarizing populism and stigmatization of other people, positions, and worldviews that is sadly so endemic in public discourse today. Art also encourages us to cherish intuition, uncertainty, and creativity and to search constantly for new ideas; artists aim to break rules and find unorthodox ways of approaching contemporary issues.
This is particularly applicable to themes like endemic, everyday violence; there are countless examples of inflictions of criminal injury against the poor and the marginalized that go unaddressed. Yet, not all of it goes down in the records as violation of human rights. In addition to laws that define offences, in many cases it is also the perception and persuasion of public that constructs an act to be a crime.
To explore the concept of art as a change agent, International Justice Mission is organizing an art exhibition on ‘The Art of Violence’ from December 4 to 6, 2018. This exhibition will be accompanied by survivor-produced artwork and other interactive events.
The artworks on display are by Artist Bernard Cargay that feature work depicting different aspects of human trafficking in India, including sex trafficking, bonded labor, manual scavenging and domestic servitude. Also, the exhibition will be accompanied by survivor-produced artwork and other interactive events.
Date of Exhibition: 4th December to 6th December 2018
Timings: 10AM – 7PM
Venue: Select City Walk, Saket
