Saturday, October 1, 2011

Solidarity exhibit with Farzat reflects violence as resolution


Al-Masry Al-Youm

"Ali Farzat is a hero. He has been criticizing – through his cartoons – the Assad governments since the mid-1960s. But when protests began to intensify against second-generation-despot Bashar al-Assad, something about the scale of government disregard and popular discontent made Farzat take a more direct and antagonistic stance against the ruling government, and specifically Assad.

Cairo Atelier’s current exhibition is a glimpse into the life of Farzat: a collection of his work vilifying the Syrian Regime, as well as the consequences of it. In the adjoining room, a photograph of Farzat brutalized, lying in a hospital bed, eyes bruised and swollen shut, hands bandaged and limply folded across his stomach, stands as a testament to the power of criticism and expression. Neon pink kisses are scattered around his limp figure. Adjacent to the photograph is a compilation of artistic responses to his attack. Cartoonists use the medium to consider both Bashar and Farzat in the images, condemning the former’s brutality and expressing support and solidarity with Farzat....."

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