Arts For Democracy, what is this for?

Edited by M.G.

Arts for Democracy started, when I realized the Left, a group which I used to identify with, seemed to have lost the perspective of its views when observing the conflict between the West and Islam. Rather than joining either group in a never-ending blame game, I use art and text as tools to communicate my beliefs.

There are four websites under AFD in which the links between freedom, peace and democracy are explored.

This entire work is not income generating. It is simply showing art works, ideas and facts as any art gallery would. For now, paintings are not for sale.

Mandate and process.

Art and texts are used to present facts and ideas on geo-politics issues and humanitarian causes while promoting some social awareness.

Two components define the content of these websites.

1- Emotions through Images - Looking at the trees.
Visuals: Through paintings, digital images, and photographs, genocides and violations of human rights by dictatorships and terrorist organizations are covered.

Images, if they do their job, will bring the viewer simple and raw emotions with a humanitarian component.
I paint portraits and scenes, manipulate images digitally or simply borrow photographs as they are, provided they are related to those trapped or involved in the struggle for life and freedom. The latest events in Iraq, the Middle East, and the rise of Islamo-fascism in the world are good examples of what humanity, in its relatively long history; has been confronted with. in terms of conflicts and the fight for survival.

2- Rationality through Texts and Analyses of Facts - Looking at the forest is a personal responsibility.
Written material: Credible articles and in depth analyses are mostly provided in the other sites, Search, Difficult Images and Pro-Freedom Artists.

Managing the dichotomy between reason and emotions is a perpetual exercise that helps develop good judgment. The purpose is to understand in deeper ways, the bigger picture and not let the world of our emotions cloud our judgment. With more clarity, old positions are reassessed while new ones are considered. The viewer's emotions are there to be felt and recognized, while their rationality is the best tool to understand facts and the real context behind the visuals. Therefore, the most accurate information on the events may help the viewer to answer some crucial questions or at least provoke more profound questions when contemplating images and reality, such as:. What are the myths? What is the power of propaganda? What are the real stakes in the fight between democratic and dictatorial regimes, which seem to cause so much pain ? What's the difference between right and wrong?

All written material in these sites is rightly credited to the authors; they are analysts, bloggers, experts and journalists... These texts as usual can only be republished with the permission of the authors and according to copyrights.
This entire work is not income generating. It is simply showing art works, ideas and facts as any art gallery would. For now, paintings are not for sale.

Content in each site

1- The main site, Arts For Democracy, presents about 11 paintings and some digital images created between 2003 and 2005. These paintings are mostly of Iraqis mourning their loved ones who disappeared during the Saddam Hussein regime in mass graves. Some of these paintings also refer to the work of the Coalition troops in Iraq. These art works are a tribute for those fighting for freedom and life, the basics human rights as declared in the Charter of Human Rights by the United Nations, in 1948.
One painting, the first to be created in the series, is a tribute to Dr. William Sampson, a British and Canadian citizen who spent nearly 32 months in solitary confinement in a Saudi Arabian prison. He was regularly tortured and he fought with a rare courage until his "miraculous" release. More images and paintings are to come.

2- The site Difficult Images is NOT SUITED FOR CHILDREN. It offers the viewer a few photographs of some genocides which took place in the last hundred years as well as other images relating to the struggle for freedom. These " strong visuals" are coupled with accurate information and analyses of the context. Some of these images came from the collection of the site Power Kills published by Dr. Rudolf Rummel, a reputed expert in conflict resolution and a Nobel Prize Nominee. Some of the material can also be seen at the Holocaust Museum in Washington and in the excellent site A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust. The author generously gave me the permission to use his material. I select images very carefully and precisely because I want to avoid any sensationalism. These photographs, black and white or in color, are powerful and real. They are meant to show a reality which many of us would like to ignore. It is strongly recommended for the viewer to read the texts and all references attached to the images in order to understand fully the context and the "raison d'être" of the pictures in the site "Difficult Images".


3- The Search site is mostly about texts; social and geo-political analyses, reports on events of interest and so on.
CN, a contributor to this site is a geo-political analyst who served at the Department of National Defense in Canada. As a Director at the National Defence College, he led syndicate strategic studies into the political, military, economic and social issues impacting Canada and some thirty countries around the world. Course members included senior military officers from Canada, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand and France as well as members of the Diplomatic Service, senior government officials and executives from the private sector. These international studies involved visits to about twenty-five countries annually. His course thesis was "The Iran-Iraq War: Religious Fundamentalism or East-West Conflict?" (1988)

4- The Pro-Freedom Artists site is to show the work of artists supporting the cause of freedom for all.

These four websites are all related to research in contemporary art. The work is exhaustive and does not allow me to update as frequently as I would like.

Additional information:

Being a professional artist fascinated by the major events of our time, I am not a writer, and certainly not fluent in English, nor I am an expert in geo-politics or history, but referring to their material is essential for this research.
I work on my own, I am not affiliated with any political, governmental or non governmental associations. However, I did some voluntary work for *Amnesty International in the eighties. The experience gave me a rare opportunity to appreciate the approach of *AI in the promotion of human rights.

My previous art show was in 1996, in the contemporary artist center Axe Neo - 7 The exhibition "Du Vent Dans La Bouche" Wind Blowing in the Mouth was offering nine large canvasses depicting the reality of men in our societies; hierarchies, fatherhood, death, life purpose, friendship, social pressures...

If you have any question or concern, you are more than welcome to contact me through email: carriered@rogers.com

Thank You.
Diane Carrière