“International human rights exhibition commemorates Springbok tour protest movement thirty years on”

Concerned Citizens, a New Zealand-based artists’ community, will collaborate with a team of South African, Palestinian and Israeli photojournalists this month, in an international exhibition highlighting the power of photography as a vehicle for social change.

The Unrecognised exhibition series will launch in Wellington on August 19th at Garrett Street exhibition space. The event, which seeks to draw attention to the upcoming UN decision on the recognition of Palestinian Statehood, will take place in 8 cities in 3 countries; New Zealand, Israel and South Africa.

Unrecognised commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the widespread anti-apartheid movement against the 1981 Springbok Tour of New Zealand.

The Unrecognised exhibitions will showcase striking images from South Africa under Apartheid, from the 1981 anti-Apartheid movement in New Zealand, and from occupied Palestine today.

Unrecognised will feature a collection of works from acclaimed Israeli/Palestinian photography collective ActiveStills, as well as works from prominent South African photojournalist and film-maker Mark Fredericks, and New Zealand artists including Auckland’s “living legend” Gil Hanly, controversial “Dole Artist” Tao Wells, and musician Imon Starr.

Concerned Citizens have also opened submissions to include works by more than 40 local artists, emphasising the strong and diverse community support for Palestinian Statehood in New Zealand. The group previously organised an arts event in support of the Urewera 18 arrestees in the “State Terror Raids” of October 15, 2007.

Spokesperson Ben Knight says, “Concerned Citizens is a creative community-based means of promoting social justice. We provide a platform for ordinary people to vocalise their concerns about social and political issues in a positive way.”

Unrecognised is Concerned Citizens’ first international collaboration.

“This is an exciting opportunity for likeminded artists from different parts of the globe to work together to promote international human rights. We’re showcasing local artistic talent on the world stage” says contributing artist and exhibition organiser Richard Dennis Bartlett.
Knight says “The Unrecognised exhibitions remind us that New Zealanders were proud to speak out against injustice in South Africa in ‘81, and that we can speak out against injustice right now. Recognising the basic rights of the Palestinian people in the UN in September is vital for continuing New Zealand’s legacy of standing up for international humanitarian justice.”

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