Friday, March 1
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Indianapolis Liberation Center
Fonseca-Du Bois Gallery powered by Arte Mexicano en Indiana
The next step in intentionally building a culture of resistance in Indianapolis unfolds with an exhibition opening that also serves as the first preview of a forthcoming artist book!
The next entry in the “Liberation Center First Fridays: Unleashing the creativity of the masses” series is a curated exhibition of recent artworks that emerge from, speak to, and advance a variety of movements for liberation across the globe—from Ireland and Korea to Haiti and China—connecting them to the struggles here in the U.S. while linking them to the history on which we build. Iskra Books generously gifted the Liberation Center—and the people of our city—each of the selected artworks that advance the struggle for the life itself and reflects the publisher and Center’s shared commitment to open the floodgates of the creativity of our class, a gate currently kept in place by an elite privileged few.
The radical independent scholarly publisher of art, literature, theory, history, out-of-print revolutionary materials, new translations, and more, has been at the forefront of contemporary revolutionary aesthetics that speak to everyday people and not only those already activated in struggles. The poignant artworks that adorn their peer-review journal, Peace, Land, and Bread, their books, their propaganda, promotional materials, and more are the product of a global network of collective shared labor. Since their launch in 2022, they’ve produced a wealth of varied kinds of work that will be available later this year in The art of peace, land, and bread 2022-2024, edited by Ben Stahnke.
A global event connecting us to our global class
The struggles we face as workers connect us on an international level to the struggles of every other worker on this planet, from our battles against police terror, evictions and gentrification to those against racist cultural and educational institutions, antidemocratic “public” entities, and the mass incarceration struggles. We have a lot more in common with the rest of humanity than the differences that the ruling classes use to try and divides us. Imagine what we could accomplish only find a way to work through our differences and unite around a common struggle for peace, land and bread.
This month’s exhibit, “Art for peace, land, and bread” connects us to the longer history, broader terrain, and different shades of struggles via artistic products and processes.
We’re honored to announce a collective of artists, editors, thinkers, and organizers from Iskra Books will join in a panel discussion led and facilitated by Liberation Center organizer Zach Patterson, who will also provide an update on the state of the political landscape of the local arts scene.
If you can’t make the 7:00 – 8:00 pm panel, you are still welcomed with open arms as we work to collectively reconstruct that landscape through events and exhibitions just like this. While our cultural institutions are run by rich bankers who limit our conceptions of art and artistry, Liberation Center’s First Fridays do the opposite: Exhibit the immense creativity that lies latent in the world’s oppressed, exploited, dispossessed, and marginalized. By feeling that incredible potential, we can harness art and culture as a powerful force for social, cultural, and political change.
