Main Gallery

“For People, Food is the First Necessity: Qiu Zhijie’s Writing in a Market”
Practitioner:
Zhijie Qiu
Date:
May 1 2021
During the public vacation of May Day, also called International Workers’ Day, “For People, Food is the First Necessity: Qiu Zhijie’s Writing in a Market” was launched at the crowded Sanyuanli market in Beijing.
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The New Activism of Japan's Youth
Practitioner:
Date:
Aug 20 2009
Young Japan: For too long, Japan's youth have been a silent minority. Now, on the eve of a crucially important general election, they seek a bigger voice in forging the future of their aging nation
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Belgium Disappears
Practitioner:
Jason Applebaum
Date:
Dec 15 2006
For a brief moment on Wednesday night it appeared that Belgium had disappeared. The main French language television station hoodwinked the country into thinking that it had split in two when it reported that Flanders had issued a unilateral declaration of independence.
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Not Your Honor
Practitioner:
ABAAD
Date:
Dec 4 2019
To honor their battle, Lebanese women's rights organization ABAAD launched a powerful song and music video titled Not Your Honor. The clip was launched on the occasion of the "16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence" initiative which took off on Nov. 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
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Hypothetical Development Corporation
Practitioner:
G.K. Darby, Ellen Susan, and Rob Walker
Date:
Apr 9 2011
"As a public service, H.D.O. invents a hypothetical future for each selected structure. Unlike a traditional, reality-based developer, however, our organization is not bound by rules relating to commercial potential, practical materials, or physics. In our view, plausibility is a creative dead end. That is to say: We are not trying to fool anybody."
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Chicago Gun Share Program
Practitioner:
The Escape Pod, The Brady Center To Prevent Gun Violence
Date:
May 10 2018
'Gun-sharing' stations in Chicago use art to make a point about gun violence. Users can’t actually grab a gun from the stations, but its creators hope the installation will send a message about how disturbingly easy it is for a citizen to acquire an assault weapon—as easy as renting a bike. They can also make a donation to the Brady Center and learn more about the campaign's gun safety efforts.
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Ringgold's art - a visual symphony that harmonizes activism
Practitioner:
Faith Ringgold
Date:
Jan 1 1997
Faith Ringgold is a successful painter, sculptor, mixed-media artist, author, feminist, and political activist. She is particularly known for her narrative quilts, as she explores identity, race, family ties, as well as cultural and political topics through her many different forms of storytelling. “I have always wanted to tell my story or, more to the point, my side of the story” - Faith Ringgold
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Republican climate sceptics face battle for re-election as green groups hit back
Practitioner:
green groups
Date:
Oct 3 2012
Republican climate sceptics face battle for re-election as green groups hit back: Activists plan targeted campaign to defeat 'Flat Earth Five' group of Republicans in congress who refuse to accept climate science
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Trump Braille Art
Practitioner:
Clarke Reynolds
Date:
Jan 20 2025
A blind artist has unveiled an image of Donald Trump in Braille dots, which spell out his conversation with Secret Service agents following the assassination attempt in July 2024. Seconds after the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania, agents tried to move Trump to safety, but he demanded to retrieve his shoes and then paused to make a fist pump gesture.
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Bicycles As a Vehicle For Protest in Guatemala
Practitioner:
Guatemalan Girls
Date:
Feb 13 2021
Non-profit organizations and a multitude of Guatemalan girls protested together demanding justice and security from the government. Guatemala's insecurity and cases of girls' disappearances have increased over the years. The protest started outside the Government Ministery (Ministerio de Gobernación) early in the morning, where protestors gathered riding their bikes.
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Chilean Protesters Used Lasers to Bring down Police Drone
Practitioner:
Chiliean protesters
Date:
Nov 12 2019
A technological feat has emerged amid the Chilean protests. A video of protestors bringing down a police drone has gone viral on social media sites. These protestors didn't use any physical or gun force to bring the drone down. Instead, they used another form of technology: lasers. A lot of bright green laser beams were pointed in unison at the drone, which can be seen moving erratically, before quickly falling down to Earth.
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Tactical Urbanism
Practitioner:
Street Plans Collaborative
Date:
Jan 1 2012
"Improving the livability of our towns and cities commonly starts at the street, block, or building scale. While larger scale efforts do have their place, incremental, smallscale improvement efforts are increasingly seen as a way to stage more substantial investments. This approach allows a host of local actors to test new concepts before making substantial
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Wesleyan Alum Poses As Dominatrix At Fraternity Where She Was Raped
Practitioner:
Karmenife Paulino
Date:
Mar 2 2015
Today’s Bad Bitch Award goes to Karmenife Paulino, a 22-year-old graduate of Wesleyan University. Raped at a fraternity during her freshman year, she reasserted her sexual agency in a photoshoot entitled “Reclamation,” where she poses as a dominatrix on fraternity grounds.
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Thousands march against amendment to Animal Protection Law
Practitioner:
The Animal Party
Date:
Sep 30 2012
Thousands of animal rights activists marched against a draft law on Sunday that would make changes to Turkey's Animal Protection Law No. 5199, seeking to introduce practices currently used in other countries such as collecting stray animals from the streets and euthanizing members of the “excess” population.
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This artist takes the spirit of protest from the streets to the gallery
Practitioner:
Mundano
Date:
Jul 24 2018
"Brazilian artist Mundano is used to spending his time on the road and in the streets, making art as an act of protest. Known for leaving his colorful works of graffiti on walls around the world, Mundano is especially dedicated to issues of environmental and social justice and spotlighting the overlooked work of Brazil’s trash collectors through his Pimp My Carroça campaign.
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Sheep invade the Louvre
Practitioner:
Peasant's Confederation
Date:
Mar 28 2014
Twelve sheep and a sheepdog walk into the Louvre. If it sounds like the beginning of a joke, it’s not. In Paris Friday, French farmers protesting European Union agricultural policy herded a flock of sheep down the steps of the Louvre’s famous glass pyramid entrance and then into the museum itself. The protesters were from the Peasants’ Confederation and were fighting against subsidy cuts the EU is proposing that could hurt small farms.
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System Azure
Practitioner:
Jill Magid
Date:
Mar 22 2003
In 2003 Amsterdam police headquarters decided their security cameras needed a little bling after Jill Magid approached them through her company System Azure Security Ornamentation. Originally turned down as an artist proposal, Magid founded her company as a possible means of executing her project. It worked. Not only did she receive the proper permits to beautify police security cameras, but the city paid her to do it.
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Decolonize Me
Practitioner:
Foreman Art Gallery
Date:
Feb 5 2013
Decolonize Me features six contemporary Aboriginal artists whose works challenge, interrogate and reveal Canada’s long history of colonization in daring and innovative ways.
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Potatoe Walkout
Practitioner:
Peter Pink
Date:
Mar 31 2013
"Potatoe Walkout" is a series of art installations located outside public food venues, featuring potatoes and cucumbers outfitted in sunglasses, picket signs, umbrellas, and other objects (depending on the depicted scene, which varies). Some scenes represent protest, others represent army battles, and other represent acts of crucifixion.
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You Don't Need Stuff To Love Yourself!
Practitioner:
Matthew Silver
Date:
Sep 29 2015
New York performance artist Matthew Silver is at it again. In his most recent stunt he reminded people that self love can't be achieved through commodities. Chanting "You don't need stuff to love yourself" in his underwear at Columbus Circle he created a spectacle that attracted more and more people to his message.
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