Artist

A New Guide Chronicling the Artist-Designed Billboard Undertaking For Freedoms Poses a Vital Query — Colossal

September 18, 2024
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The place can we go from right here? At a degree in historical past that feels so turbulent and unpredictable, this unresolved query sits on the forefront of many minds. For Freedoms, an artist-led group channeling its efforts towards artistic civic engagement and direct motion, is about to launch its first-ever monograph, fittingly named after the question.

For Freedoms: The place Do We Go From Right here? is a complete 340-page assortment of greater than 550 artist-designed billboards from the final seven years. You may discover some acquainted names concerned within the venture, similar to Hank Willis Thomas, JR, and Nari Ward. Whether or not it’s a pair of eyes staring straight ahead, an impactful query directed towards the viewer, or the simplicity of the phrase “human being” in Arabic, every design leaves its viewers to replicate on the problem at hand.

a light purple billboard depicting a clouded reflection with wiped away sections revealing a photograph of protestors and text reading, "if not now, when?"
Marilyn Minter, “If Not Now When?” (2020). Boring, Oregon. Photograph by Lincoln Barbour

Popping up in numerous corners of america from rural areas to city facilities, the works sort out a large number of societal challenges and humanitarian crises that require urgency and advocacy.

In distinction to a billboard’s normal profit-driven, industrial perform, the large-scale constructions as a substitute grow to be poignant messages in keeping with For Freedoms’ total mission. By spotlighting quick however compelling phrases, highly effective imagery, and intelligent placement, the general public installations act as a pressure for widespread motion.

For Freedoms: The place Do We Go From Right here? is slated for launch on October 15, simply earlier than the 2024 election. Pre-order yours on Bookshop, and study extra on the group’s web site.

a black billboard wign with white text reading, "words shape reality"
Christine Solar Kim, “Phrases Form Actuality” (2018). Jefferson Metropolis, Missouri. Photograph by Notley Hawkins
a billboard sign outside of a pawn shop for guns reads, "mass action. vote."
Nari Ward, “Mass Motion” (2016). Lexington, Kentucky. Photograph by Wyatt GalleryS
almost blending into the landscape surrounding it, a billboard shows a large tree and text that reads, "DREAM" in orange text
Ross McDonnell, “DREAM” (2023). Los Angeles, California. Photograph by Taisuke Yamada
in black, red, and green, a billboard reads, "who taught you to love?"
Hank Willis Thomas, “Who Taught You To Love?” (2020). Des Moines, Iowa. Photograph by Jeff Scroggins
a billboard with side by side photos of a Black man before and during his incarceration. The yellow text reads, "I've been here all my life."
Robinson and the Visiting Room Undertaking, “I’ve Been Right here All My Life” (2022). Detroit, Michigan. Photograph by Jason Eager
a two-sided billboard folding over the corner of a building that reads, "Less Discrimination, More Understanding" in stereotypical "Chop Suey" Font
Christine Wong Yap, “Hopes for Chinatown (YY)” (2021). Atlanta, Georgia. Photograph by Connie Huang and Jonathan Fan
a billboard with a photo of a diverse group of individuals from different walks of life reading, "LET LOVE QUIET FEAR"
Hank Willis Thomas, Emily Shur, Eric Gottesman, and Wyatt Gallery, “Let Love Quiet Concern” (2020). Atlanta, Georgia. Photograph by Matthew Odom
a billboard with text that reads, "NEVER AGAIN IS NOW" against a photograph of two children walking in a Japanese internment camp
Emily Hanako Momohara, “Household Incarceration: By no means Once more is Now” (2018). Nampa, Idaho. Photograph by Chad Jackson
a black billboard with white text reading, "human being" in Arabic
Jamila El Sahili, “Human Being” (2018). Lansing, Michigan. Photograph by Jeremy Rafter
a billboard reading, "WE ARE THE ASTEROID" in the style of a traffic control sign
Justin Brice Guariglia, “We Are The Asteroid” (2018). Oklahoma Metropolis, Oklahoma. Photograph by David McNeese
a black billboard with white text reading, "ALL LIES MATTER"
Hank Willis Thomas, “All Lives Matter” (2018). St. Louis, Missouri. Photograph by Jessica Baran

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