Artists organize to support striking Palestinian prisoners

Art by Decolonize This Place

Decolonize This Place,  an artist/activist initiative in New York City that organizes around indigenous struggle, Black liberation, Free Palestine, workers and de-gentrification, launched a new artistic initiative to support over 1,500 Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike.

The Dignity Strike solidarity initiative, “Visibility Sustains the Struggle,” brings together artists, writers and other cultural workers in support of the strike. “Their strike for dignity and freedom calls on all of us–including cultural workers–to amplify their struggle in confronting the tyranny of jailers. Today, we begin the work of supporting them through art and action in all their forms,” said the call.

Art by Decolonize This Place

Art magazine Hyperallergic posted an article by Decolonize This Place, situating their activism in the BDS movement. “The campaign that launches today is in the spirit of BDS. It answers a call from Palestinians, and it is aimed directly at the forces underpinning the Occupation. The hunger strike reminds us of the life-or-death stakes (now visibly unfolding in real time, hour-by-hour) of the institutional politics of BDS movement.”

Art by Decolonize This Place

Artworks included in the initiative so far include “My Mind Cannot Fathom a Hunger Strike,” by Sneha Ganguly; “Happy Birthday Mumia!” by Kyle Goen; “Free All Palestinian Political Prisoners” by Vaimoana Niumeitolu; “Dignity Strike Banner: Day 9” by Decolonize This Place; “I Remember Bobby Sands” by Nicolas Mirzoeff; “Our Chains Will Be Broken Before We Are,” a quote by Marwan Barghouti, found in graffiti; “From the River to the Sea” by Myriam Vanneschi; and “Gaza, Palestine: June 30, 2014” by Joe Catron.

The initiative welcomes submission from cultural workers in a call for participation. “Since time is of the essence, a rapid-response solidarity initiative of artists and organizers is now being launched to amplify the hunger strike with daily contributions in the form of images, words, voices, and actions of all kinds. As coordinators, we are inviting contributions to be sent to decolonizethisplace@gmail.com; they will be posted here.”

Art by Decolonize This Place