Art as Resistance: In honor of Shaheen Bagh
Aminah Ahmed is a young leader in the Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) community, a group that hopes to promote peace, pluralism and social justice through strategic advocacy. Aminah is a high school student in Chicago. This initiative came about after she and Sunita of Hindus for Human Rights met at an IAMC event in Cincinnati. They struck up an instant bond, and discovered a shared admiration for the women of Shaheen Bagh and their brave fight for the secular soul of India. Sunita showed Aminah an image created by her friend Edgar Montes de Oca, a Mexico City-based artist, when he learned about the women fighting for democracy in India. This image inspired Aminah to mobilize artists in her network to create more Art as Resistance: In Honor of Shaheen Bagh, and all the Shaheen Baghs across India.
The women of Shaheen Bagh remained in their protest for as long as they possibly could. Their protest has now been interrupted by the Coronavirus Pandemic which has brought the world to its knees. They have pledged to return to the protest as soon as the danger of spreading the virus has passed. And in the interim, Indian American Muslim Council and Hindus for Human Rights offer these artistic expressions of solidarity with these brave women who are the face of democracy in India. We hope that artists, amateur and professional, dedicate art to Shaheen Bagh and Shaheen Bagh-inspired protesters, and that the women of Shaheen Bagh are encouraged, and know they are not alone. When the Shaheen Bagh protest is resumed, we hope to print these images and give them as a gift to the protesters.
We invite all artists everywhere to contribute their Art as Resistance: In Honor of Shaheen Bagh.
Artists should ensure that their images are at least 72 dpi in resolution.
Images can be shared on Facebook (please tag @Hindus4HR and/or @IndianAmericanMuslimCouncil) and Twitter (please tag @Hindus4HR and/or @IAMCouncil) with the hashtags #Art4ShaheenBagh, and #ArtasResistance
Images should be accompanied with a short caption with name of artist, location, and any small message.