Parrhesia art collective

Parrhesia is composed of Jewish and Palestinian artists and designers, all citizens of Israel, that exercise, each in his/her own way, a political practice of art. Political practice of art means using the tools and modes of thinking of art and design, with the aim of promoting conditions for social and political change. The common values of the group are concern for the world, commitment to freedom and passion to create. We believe that art, as a human activity, is fundamentally ethical because it promotes and influences human relationships. We believe that political activity, being a social creation, should be undertaken with concern for beauty and quality, as well as bringing into play critical thinking and freedom of expression. The group operates in two ways. The first is cooperating with social change organizations in creating communication materials- campaigns, posters, exhibitions, books, magazines, videos etc. The group aims to strengthen the visibility of such organizations and communities, using visual materials that communicate in a clear and direct language, avoiding manipulation, seduction and aggression. We are trying to create a civil language that is in keeping with the values of democracy, equality and solidarity and to challenge forces of exclusion and exploitation. Our second mode of work is independent creation of art works, graffiti, exhibitions, performances, workshops etc. We use art to experiment with the ideas and subjects that concern us and to communicate directly with the public in order to expose, challenge, learn and teach about prejudices, making a crack within the frozen consensus, stimulating discussion, influencing the public discourse and creating new possibilities of life.