Apr
The Phillips Collection (Phillips@THEARC) presents Portraits of Resilience, featuring photographs by Jonathan Banks that share the stories of survivors of torture. Alongside the exhibition The Phillips Collection produced a book with the portraits and stories.
The exhibition is held in collaboration with the artist, the survivors, and Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC). The exhibition is on view from April 27 to July 29, 2022.
Apr
Yesterday evening was the reception and artist talk for “Portraits of Resilience”, an exhibition organised by The Phillips Collection, @THEARC in Washington DC f featuring photographs of torture survivors by myself in collaboration with Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition (TASSC International) which now runs until July 29 2022.
Thanks to Nehemiah Dixon and the team at the Phillips Collection for the amazing reception and artist talk that they organised. A recording of the event will be available on YouTube shortly and I will update you with links to this as soon as possible.
Thanks to Ryan Welch and Nando’s for generously supplying an incredible spread of food for the event. Everyone truly appreciated the contribution and loved the food. It is great to be able to bring together a socially responsible company like Nando’s and a charity such as TASSC International - especially when it involves ‘breaking bread’ over great food!
Thanks to TASSC International for all your amazing work and support that you give to survivors. Everyone on the team is so valuable and has been invaluable to our collaboration.
Thanks to the survivors that attended in person and online. You are the purpose for these photographs, and I only hope that my portraits do your stories justice.
Apr
The Phillips Collection (Phillips@THEARC) presents Portraits of Resilience, featuring photographs by Jonathan Banks that share the stories of survivors of torture
The exhibition is held in collaboration with the artist, the survivors, and Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International (TASSC). The exhibition is on view from April 27 to July 29, 2022.
Jul
I am proud to announce that I am part of the Venice International Art Fair: “Fragmented Identities”, exhibiting at The Room Contemporary Art Space in Venice, from July 12 to August 01, 2021. Venice International Art Fair is a contemporary art exhibition that presents collective and solo projects by leading and emerging international artists. The 13th edition will represent a forum for direct exchange of ideas and contacts between collectors, artists, photographers, designers, and art professionals. The art fair features paintings, sculptures, photography art, installations, video art and live performance.
Borders Art Fair is divided into three appointments (Bodies + Cities Skin, Fragmented Identities and Future Landscapes). I was invited to exhibit three works as part of the Fragmented Identities collection.
Fragmented Identities analyses human beings as living mosaics composed of many different pieces, that form who we are. The challenge is to recognise that there is not just one perspective of knowing someone. In understanding our fragmented identities, we will be able to break down all the barriers and boundaries that divide us.
I am exhibiting three photographs from my series of “Portraits of Survivors of Torture” produced in collaboration with TASSC International. The portraits feature survivors of Torture from around the world who fled their home countries seeking safety, recovery, and political asylum. Most were tortured by repressive governments for “reasons” as varied as joining opposition political organisations, criticising their governments publicly, refusing to join the ruling party, being related to a political dissident or because of their religion or sexual orientation. These men and women were persecuted for standing up for freedom of speech or assembly or for exposing government corruption, fighting against gender-based violence or forced early marriage for girls.
Survivors are the strongest and most effective voice in the campaign to abolish torture.
Not all survivors want to be recognised for fear of repercussions to their friends and family. Each survivor selected a photograph that was significant to them. The photograph was then projected over the individual, sometimes obscuring their identity as per their request.
The portraits invite viewers to see the survivors in the fullest measure of their humanity— to look beyond whatever pre-conceived notions they might have about refugees and asylum seekers and see them as individuals with very human connections to place and home.
Venice International Art Fair, organized by ITSLIQUID Group in collaboration with Venice Events and ACIT Venice – Italian-German Cultural Association.
