A new political graphics book hit bookshelves this past May 2005. My work and that of my my co-worker, Jesus Barraza, were included in the publication. The 239-page book by Milton Glaser & Mirko Ilic features a display of posters, leaflets, t-shirts and buttons addressing topics of globalization, the Iraq war, corporate media, and the Palestinian struggle. Milton Glaser is a reknown graphic designer best known for his "I {heart} NY" logo. Although the book has been criticized for lacking a clear direction, it is an important release because it documents contemporary movements and struggles. In a Los Angeles Times review of the book, Carol Wells, executive director of the Center for the Study of Political Graphics writes, "Although the graphics span the period from the 1960s to the present, 90% were produced after 1990, and more than half since 2000, making this a significant collection of early-21st century political design."
Two posters by Jesus Barraza and one poster by Favianna Rodriguez are in the new book. The "Hecho En Califas" poster was designed by Jesus Barraza for the 4th annual music, theater and art festival held by La Peña Cultural Center, Berkeley, CA. The piece features a Zapatista woman holding a gun with a banner reading "Raices en Resistencia." (Roots of Resistance) Jesus incorporated this image into the graphic design because the festival coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Zapatista uprising. The second of Jesus's posters "Dia de los Muertos 2002" depicts a calavera (skeleton) Zapatista and was handprinted at the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco. The piece honors the fallen soldiers of the EZLN who have died fighting for a better and just future for the indigenous people of Mexico.
My poster "Hermano Kyung Hae Lee" is a great example of how posters can document modern movements. On September 10, 2003, Kyung Hae Lee, a 56-year old South Korean farmer, died after stabbing himself in protest of the World Trade Organization (WTO), a global trading institution that has been leaving farmers hopeless and desperate. Lee was among the 120 Korean farmers who courageously rammed a dragon structure into the chain-linked fence barricade heavily armed with police and military separating civil society from the official WTO meeting. After the barricade fell, Lee climbed to the top and stabbed himself in the chest. He was rushed to the hospital and died soon after. Unfortunantly, you wil not find this explanation in the book, due a to an internal error by the publisher.
"The Design of Dissent shows the power and continuing need for protest graphics. It documents issues and conflicts both well-known and unfamiliar. Some works are beautiful, others horrific," writes Carol Wells, "The book's images will test the visual literacy and political awareness of many readers and will challenge preconceptions and assumptions. That is exactly what graphics of dissent are supposed to do."
click here to view the full Los Angeles Times book review
click here to see the WTO poster