The Open Call for the Social Art Award 2019 under the topic “We are the People – Peaceful Revolutions” was closed on December 15, 2019. We are very impressed by 558 submissions that were contributed by artists coming from 65 countries across all continents.
The winners of The Social Art Award 2019 are Narcissa Gold (USA), Melinda Mouzannar (Lebanon) and Bogna Grazyna Jaroslawski (Poland/Germany). The Honorary Mention goes to Kingson Kin Sing Chan (Hong Kong/UK).
Below you find the artworks, that passed the initial jury round. The public voting took place till 30 December and is a tool to give more public visibility to the topic and the artworks. It does not replace the final jury judgment. There were two wildcards for the most voted artworks that entered the final shortlist.
The focus diversity of applications shows that artists are active in the multi-faceted fields of socially engaged art reflecting on wars, genocides, femicides, traumata, violence against refugees, children, women, men, disabled people, LGBTIQs, animals. They share feelings for the planet and its living species, but also showing hopelessness due to complex crises be it climate change (e.g. in regard to water pollution), capitalism, corruption, a violation against human rights, nature, protected national parks. Many of the artists are constantly trying to give a voice to the poorest or empower unheard social groups.
It’s not only about peaceful revolutions, but it’s also about feeling a deep connection and showing love and respect for each other.
Thank you all for sharing your great and inspirational work and look at all the great contributions!
Myself.
Bilal Chahal
open category
I want to take you to 1986 Tripoli Lebanon, the 6 day war. My mother, brother, sister and I were in the living room. We had just eaten and were playing in the living room. Suddenly a bang, a bang that was harder, much louder than the bangs we had heard in recent days. Immediately after the bang it got dark, my mother called helplessly to my father who was standing on the balcony watching the rockets flying from one side to the other. That evening our building was accidentally hit, the first floor. My father took me on his shoulders, my mother carried my sister and my brother followed us out of the building. Vague images, obscure thoughts, but what stands before me is a sea of fire that lit up the horizon. Our Race, humanity exterminates itself, feels superior to its own race, it kills, starves and lays down the habitats of its own counterpart, We are alienated from the idea that man's home is the earth, and not Western or Eastern Europe, America, Asia or Africa. Those who do not have water, food or safety, wander recklessly and helplessly to survive and cannot get their way anywhere. He who has created the world in 7 days has always closed his counter to see. The other half of us are out of shame in luxury, bored and live without purpose or give birth to children to give a reason for their existence. Back to Lebanon in the late 1980s: So-called happiness was on our side and 4 years later we were able to leave our home, our friends, schools, squares and family to seek security on the other side of the world. This opportunity that many do not get has given me the opportunity to develop what many do not get. I have had the safety to be able to work on my personal growth, to develop my talents and that has made me what I am today, a visual artist. Peace ensures that you get the chance to work on your own development, to be able to think about things. However, I soon ended up in a different kind of war, a fight that you cannot win, namely a fight that you fight against yourself. Man has destructive powers, but also the ability to combat them, I believe that the biggest challenge is to free yourself. How many of us do not get up every day to go to work that makes us unhappy afterwards? This while we continue to postpone what we would like to do most? My artwork, this installation, is a symbol of my mind, half free and half behind bars. My ideal image will be one without bars, that symbolizes the liberation of yourself. You stand alone in that struggle. If you overcome this then you have a free spirit that ensures that you can better understand the world around you. Social art connects free spirits who want to work together for peace, a goal that I want to support.
I want to take you to 1986 Tripoli Lebanon, the 6 day war. My mother, brother, sister and I were in the living room. We had just eaten and were playing in the living room. Suddenly a bang, a bang that was harder, much louder than the bangs we had heard in recent days. Immediately after the bang it got dark, my mother called helplessly to my father who was standing on the balcony watching the rockets flying from one side to the other. That evening our building was accidentally hit, the first floor. My father took me on his shoulders, my mother carried my sister and my brother followed us out of the building. Vague images, obscure thoughts, but what stands before me is a sea of fire that lit up the horizon. Our Race, humanity exterminates itself, feels superior to its own race, it kills, starves and lays down the habitats of its own counterpart, We are alienated from the idea that man's home is the earth, and not Western or Eastern Europe, America, Asia or Africa. Those who do not have water, food or safety, wander recklessly and helplessly to survive and cannot get their way anywhere. He who has created the world in 7 days has always closed his counter to see. The other half of us are out of shame in luxury, bored and live without purpose or give birth to children to give a reason for their existence. Back to Lebanon in the late 1980s: So-called happiness was on our side and 4 years later we were able to leave our home, our friends, schools, squares and family to seek security on the other side of the world. This opportunity that many do not get has given me the opportunity to develop what many do not get. I have had the safety to be able to work on my personal growth, to develop my talents and that has made me what I am today, a visual artist. Peace ensures that you get the chance to work on your own development, to be able to think about things. However, I soon ended up in a different kind of war, a fight that you cannot win, namely a fight that you fight against yourself. Man has destructive powers, but also the ability to combat them, I believe that the biggest challenge is to free yourself. How many of us do not get up every day to go to work that makes us unhappy afterwards? This while we continue to postpone what we would like to do most? My artwork, this installation, is a symbol of my mind, half free and half behind bars. My ideal image will be one without bars, that symbolizes the liberation of yourself. You stand alone in that struggle. If you overcome this then you have a free spirit that ensures that you can better understand the world around you. Social art connects free spirits who want to work together for peace, a goal that I want to support.