Middle-East Peace Stencil Art
July 11, 2008 – 5:59 pmDespite reports that the Bush administration is expanding covert operations in Iran to “destabilize the country’s religious leadership,” despite the recent (photoshopped) Iranian missile tests, and despite Israel’s vigorous aerial exercises over the eastern Med last month — despite that, people in the Middle East are asking for peace.
Ask? is a graffiti and stencil artist in Israel. He’s also a pacifist. In this photo you can see one of a series of posters he made from newspaper articles about war or peace overlayed with a Gandhi stencil (hat tip to Sarolta Cump):
[Ask? / Flickr]
Ask? thinks about peace in this way:
Peace is not just a word. It is not just a diplomatic maneuver, not just a treaty to be signed. Not just a greeting to greet your bro’ with.
Peace is a way of life. It is a goal to be acieved not just in the middle east but also in one’s home.
Peace is something to be hunted, to be chased, to be asked.
In fact I believe that everything is to be asked. Everything is to be put under a question mark. Only some-things can be answered. The way of the question is a difficult way. It is hard for us to question our believes when we think they are true. But I believe that truth is elastic. And I try to question that belief too. Or do I?
A1one is a fellow street artist in Tehran. He says he is “not about politics” but that he’s “interested on social Subjects.” He seems to indicate that in this picture the pink sign says “peace.” (Thanks again, Sarolta Cump.)
[A1one / Flickr]
Ask? and A1one must be wondering how the US election will affect them. But as Ask? says, “the way of the question is a difficult way.”
tags 2008 art graffiti iran israel middleeast
5 Responses to “Middle-East Peace Stencil Art”
Just wanted to comment that you described me as a pacifist, which is a very complicated definition… I don’t know what YOU mean when you say pacifist, but here in Israel the formal definition of pacifist is someone who will not agree to any acts of violence, including ones of self-protection. This definition, which is widely agreed here, was paradoxically defined by the Israeli army as a criterion for being released from it. I personally does not fall under this definition, but i do consider myself a man peace, as someone who believes peace is the best way of solving problems, in life as well as in politics, which may fall under other definitions of pacifism, such as wikipedia’s, which acknowledges the wide spectrum of pacifist opinions. A
nyway, tanks for the post, and keep it going!
By Ask? on Jul 12, 2008
Hi Ask? — thanks for your clarification. It’s an important distinction, and you’re right that I didn’t think about this when I used the word “pacifist.” We love your art.
By Katherine on Jul 12, 2008
Great to see ASK and A1ONE represented in this article…for those who are interested A1one and ASK are painting portraits of Gandhi because they are participating in an interactive street art project called: Constructing Coexistence:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/constructingcoexistence
By INSPIRE on Jul 14, 2008
I think INSPIRE may be wrong. It is more possible that A1one and ASK? have participated in Constructingcoexistance becasue they wanted to Stencil Gandhi portrait .So they way we can say to see the truth is :
“…for those who are interested A1one and ASK are painting portraits of Gandhi and they are kind enough to contribute their work in an interactive street art project called: Constructing Coexistence”
It is important how we manage to seek the truth and tell it to people. may be the difference between east and west comes from this way of Lie/Truth game.
By Jurastix on Jul 18, 2008
just to set things straight, as for myself (don’t know about A1ONE). i started stenciling Ghandi as part of the constructing co-existence movement, as you could have seen if you’d have gotten into the pic on flickr.
i have to ask the editors of this blog to insert a line about this group or at list a link, as a matter of integrity.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/constructingcoexistence
By Ask? on Jul 30, 2008