Creative Mobilization.

ARTISTS4LIFE

CONCEPT

More than 30 prominent international artists collaborated with the project to produce artwork designed around the sensitization campaign « I Love You Positive or Negative » – the message of the campaign launched by Dessine l’ Espoir, emphasizing the universal need for love and support, regardless of HIV status.

A personal creation, a message, an original approach, and a graphic interpretation.
The campaign gained a lot of strenght from this artistic input.

ARTISTS

Joël Andrianomearisoa - Alecio de Andrade - Jane Evelyn Atwood - Anne-Catherine Becker-Echivard - François Boisrond - Samuel Bollendorff - Chantalpetit - Robert Combas - Henri Cueco - Nathalie Decoster - Richard Di Rosa - Guy Du Toit - Patricia Erbelding - Antoine Giacomoni - Elodie Lachaud - Nicolaas Maritz - Julie Mehretu - Miss Tic - Ricardo Mosner - Ingridmwangiroberthutter - Malcome Payne - Alicia Paz - Ernest Pignon-Ernest - Jean-Marc De Pelsemaeker - Armin Pflanz - Raghad - Christian Rouchouse - Antonio Segui - Yoyo Sorlin - Tony Soulié - Sue Williamson - Duncan Wylie - Yamada - Kimiko Yoshida.

ARTWORKS

You can visualize the artworks by clicking on the following link:
(Artworks fotographed by Christian Rouchouse - cover visual by Elodie Lachaud)




Art, used as an informal communication tool.

EXHIBITION ORGANISED TOGETHER WITH UNESCO.

DESSINE L'ESPOIR and UNESCO have put together an itinerant exhibition gathering all the artworks from Artists4life. The exhibition was officially launched in Paris at the Artparis Art Fair at the Grand Palais (March 2006) and at the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild (May 2006).
This cultural event will also sensitize public audiences at major international events, such as the Women’s Forum in Deauville, France, October 2006.

Visualize the exhibitions:


UNESCO will bring its expertise to conceive a pedagogical kit in collaboration with Dessine l'Espoir.
Presented as a small catalogue, it will accompany the exhibitions and assist teachers and animators in the development of discussions addressing stigma and discrimination through arts and creativity in general.


Utopie Réaliste, Robert Combas.


Art revealing & raising understanding.

Three creations and messages.
IngridMwangiRobertHutter express with this diptyque and personal message the philosophy behind this campaign. Robert Combas plays with words in this painted poetry named "Realistic Utopia".
Two reflexions. two occasions to start a dialogue.

"Art can be used not only to create a vision of how things ideally should be, but also to diagnose existing problems in society. Artists can create visually captivating manifestations of difficult issues in order to spark off public and private debate.
The problems of HIV and AIDS are worsened by ignorance and stigmatisation. People with HIV status can often not speak freely, and because of this they suffer in isolation, fear and loneliness. In addition, secretiveness and concealment aid the spread of the disease.
These images of the sensory organs mouth, ear and eyes being blocked and cut off direct the viewers’ attention to these problematic circumstances. A person who doesn’t want to be involved in a situation pretends not to see, hear and will not speak about it.

The work invites discussion, criticism and inquiry. Questions will be asked as to why the person is depicted in that manner and answers will have to be found relating to the context of the campaign. It can be argued that the kind of closing off depicted in the images is a state, which must be individually and collectively overcome to enable an atmosphere of understanding, candour and - as the title of the campaign proposes - love."

Ingrid Mwangi.

Christian Rouchouse



Other actions linked to Artists4life.

ITINERANT EXHIBITION

Artists4life will be introduiced during the Women's Forum in Deauville - France.
Other cities and venues are willing to also welcome the exhibition in 2006/2007.

In efforts to reach the most concerned populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the artwork will also be reproduced on posters by the Alliances Françaises to be exhibited for World Aids Day 2006 in their network of 50 centers in 20 African countries.

A planning will then be organised for circulation of this exhibition in townships, schools, cultural centres in each country. The pedagogical guide developped with UNESCO will accompany these multiple exhibitions.



ARTISTS4LIFE - JOHANNESBURG & MAPUTO

Artist4life will open up to African artists at the occasion of World Aids Day on the first of December. An exhibition will be simultaneously organised at the Franco-mozambican centre in Maputo and at the Alliance Française in Johannesburg.

More than 20 Mozambican and 20 South African artists have already contributed to this project by creating an artwork on the campaign message.


Mozambican artwork is presented on line on Designing Hope's website.




If several African artists already are part of the international selection of artists4life, such as Armin Pflanz, Sue Williamson, Guy Du Toit et Nicolaas Maritz, these two exhibitions will have a stronger local thanks to the involvement of a larger group of artists:

Johanesburg exhibition artists:
Debbie Cloete - Guy Du Toit - Gordon Froud - Brenden Gray - Michelle Harris - Bevin Hearmon - Lara Koseff - Kudzi - Lawrence Lemaoana - Rhett Martyn - Jacki Mc Innes - Nicolaas Maritz - Same Mdluli - Antoinette Murdoch - Nikki Naidoo - Musha Neluheni - Ellen Papciak-Rose - Armin Pflanz - Landi Raubenteiner - Lerato Shadi - Mary Sibande - Diane Victor - Juliet White.


Above Johnannesburg exhibition card for World Aids Day at the Alliance Française.

ARTISTS4LIFE - DIFFUSION OF CONDOMS

Designing Hope and Dessine l'Espoir are preparing a massive condom diffusion campaign
Condoms will be packed in original printed boxes carrying a selection of Artwork from
the artists associated with strong awareness messages, and famous signatures of the campaign messagers.


Condom Factory, by Anne-Catherine Becker Echivard.


This campaign will have two main aspects:

In Europe, it will put the stress on the vitale importance of using condoms for safe sexual intercourses.
Boxes of condoms carrying all designs from the artists will be sold in Europe, with a donation to fund the free distribution in Africa with support of local authorities.

In Africa, Designing Hope and Dessine l'Espoir will develop within support groups in South Africa, Mozambique and Swaziland an income generating and activity that will play a key role in the campaign.
Support group members will be paid to repack condoms into original packaging carrying artwork, awareness messages, and famous signatures of the campaign messagers.

Activities and counselling explaining the campaign will be lassociated to these workshop so that the people involved understand fully the message and feel they are part of a valuable action.

Embroidery, painting, writting cessions will be a way to get these volunteers express their vision of the message and of the artwork. Below first interpretation from Swaziland on embroidery on canvas.

At present, free condoms are distributed in anonymous boxes left on the side of counters in some, administrative buildings, and in some testing centers and hospital building.

Original packaging can change the gesture of taking a condom in a public place. Anyone can pretend he takes one to see or collect nice boxes, rather than taking a couple of condoms home...

Read more: designinghope.org/artists4life/condom



OTHER INFORMATIONS & LINKS ON ARTISTS4LIFE :

DOWNLOAD FLYER, VIEW THE ARTWORK , NEXT DATES, CONTACTS, WELCOME THIS EXHIBITION, THE CAMPAIGN, ART PARIS, FONDATION ROTHSCHILD, UNESCO WEBPAGE