The best of Channeldraw in 2023...
«This is a place of work. If you are not working, then get on the streets and rebel.»
It has been a year marked by significant successes in my artistic work, but at the same time, it has been a challenging and tragic period. I found myself facing difficult choices regarding the focus of my artwork. Since October 7th, with the Hamas attack and the intense, cruel reaction from Israel, many of my ideas and projects had to be set aside due to this devastating war. This conflict has violated every aspect of normalcy.
I would like to share with you some of the experiences that have deeply affected me this year, but for a more comprehensive account, you can visit my website: www.channeldraw.org.
The best of Channeldraw in 2023...
January 1, 2023
“POSSIBLE LIFE”, A SAILING EXHIBITION
BY GIANLUCA COSTANTINI
ON BOARD THE OCEAN VIKING
A sailing exhibition on board the ship Ocean Viking, to tell the stories of the shipwrecked people rescued during the SOS MEDITERRANEANEE rescue missions and of all those men, women and children who leave their country in search of a better life.
Stories of newborn lives snatched from the waves, stories of violence and abuse but also of dreams and hopes, stories of journeys by land and sea in search of a safe haven.
Activist artist Gianluca Costantini recounts them through 20 drawings of civil illustration, posted on the deck of the ship that in 2022 alone rescued 2,505 lives in 45 different operations in the central Mediterranean Sea.
The exhibition, entitled “La vita possibile – Possible Life”, takes its cue from the story of baby Abdou*, an infant that Ocean Viking rescuers found on board a dinghy during the last mission, on the night between 26 and 27 December.
“It was like just a bundle of clothes,” said Tanguy, rescuer, at the end of the rescue operation, conducted in total darkness.
What at first looked like just a pile of rags was a baby barely two weeks old. He was motionless and silent and Tanguy wondered: “Is he breathing? I can’t understand.”
“Yes, he is, all is well,” Justine, the midwife on board, answered him, taking him in her arms.
Abdou* is just 18 days old and spent a week at sea. His rescue is a symbol of the right of every human being to a possible life.
The exhibition will be set up tomorrow afternoon, 1 January, on board the ambulance ship Ocean Viking by SOS MEDITERRANEANEE rescuers, on the instructions of the cartoonist.
The prints will be hung on the deck, in the on-board clinic and in the shelter, the protected space dedicated to rescued women and children, and will accompany the crew of the Ocean Viking during their next mission in the central Mediterranean Sea, thus becoming a real sailing exhibition.
For security reasons the exhibition will not be open to the public, but will be accessible virtually through the social channels of the artist and SOS MEDITERRANEE Italy.
*The child’s name was changed to protect his identity.
The Ocean Viking’s latest mission
The Ocean Viking set sail from Marseille on 18 December. After the necessary supplies of food, medicine and fuel, the ship headed south between Friday 23 and Saturday 24 December, entering the Maltese search and rescue region in the early afternoon of Monday 26 December.
Between 3am and 4am on 27 December, the crew of the Ocean Viking was engaged in a rescue operation of 113 people, including 23 women and three infants, the youngest of whom was only two weeks old. The survivors taken on board claimed to be from the Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Cameroon.
On 27 December, at around 7am, an ITMRCC {Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center} e-mail informed the captain of the ship that the Ocean Viking had been assigned the port of La Spezia for the disembarkation of the shipwrecked people on board. Four hours later, around 11am, the ITMRCC sent a second e-mail informing of a new PoS {Safe Port} assignment, Ravenna (about 900 nautical miles away from where the Ocean Viking was at that time). On 31 December at around noon, after four days at sea, the Ocean Viking entered the port of Ravenna. Disembarkation procedures for the 113 survivors were completed shortly after three o’clock in the afternoon.
January 8, 2023
HUMAN RIGHTS PORTRAITS
"Portraits and stories of women and men at the forefront in the struggle for civil rights. A visual and intense journey through sixty years of international activism, marked by battles against dictatorships, wars, and abuses that have affected the entire world in these decades.
In recent years, I have deepened my historical and political knowledge of some countries where human rights are considered a crime, where tolerance is not allowed. I am in contact with numerous activists and journalists who work and live in these countries, with whom I have a continuous exchange of information and photos. Messages constantly arrive about abuses and arrests, and I try to keep up by drawing as many cases as possible, helping as many people as I can. I create the drawings in a few minutes, adding small texts, then prepare the tweet, directing it to people I know to be interested in the case. When I press the send button, the drawing begins its own life and enters the lives of other people, often appearing in the hands of individuals thousands of kilometers away. At that moment, I know that the drawing is doing its job and is, in its small way, changing the course of that story. My intention is to be present in distant stories, to be part of some events that are actually taking place somewhere in the world, and above all, to send a message of love to these people. A message that says, 'We may not know each other, but I am here to help you.' This happened in the well-known case of the Egyptian student Patrick Zaki. This is what I do. I am a free artist who draws for those who can no longer express their freedom.
Gianluca Costantini, from the preface of Human Rights Portraits"
January 25, 2023
LINE OF DUTY. BADIUCAO | GIANLUCA COSTANTINI
Curated by Elettra Stamboulis
From Thursday, January 26, 2023, the spaces of Prometeo Gallery Ida Pisani present Line of Duty: a double solo exhibition by artists Badiucao (China, 1986) and Gianluca Costantini (Ravenna, 1971). The exhibition project is configured as the natural continuation of a dialogue between two artists geographically distant, yet close in vocation and language, united by a gaze always ready to confront the social and geopolitical contradictions of the present. It is no coincidence that Badiucao and Costantini met on Twitter, sharing an ‘other’ space that, in a time when borders are getting stronger and inequalities are increasing, has the possibility of creating fissures: glimpses of expressive freedom in which political militancy can condense into words and images that, as in a great Global Square, circulate from hand to hand and from screen to screen, germinating a shared awareness.
Conceived in this way, the exhibition Line of Duty is then also a fissure: a space of possibility in which it is the line – the one that decisively traces the migrant bodies in Costantini’s drawings and shapes the bitter pop irony of Badiucao’s works – that constructs images somewhere between testimony and symbol: new frameworks of the present in which the adherence of the chronicler meets the aesthetic translation of the militant artist. In this interweaving, biography and artistic research refer to each other: the Badiucao affair is already written in his name – an alias created to maintain anonymity even in Melbourne, where the artist lives and works in voluntary exile, at a distance from the censorship of the Chinese Communist Party apparatus – while Costantini has also met with the establishment of Turkish President Erdoğan, who issued a condemnation against him for “terrorism” for his drawings after the failed coup attempt in 2016.
If the former operates a direct critique of the repressive apparatus of his native country through a language strained between parody and disquiet, the latter uses drawing as a moment of synthesis: the repeated and successful attempt to create iconic figures out of the silhouettes victimized by global news, which, for example, became the object of political action with the silhouette of Patrick Zaki or the drawings in support of the Iranian uprising. Thus, another resonance emerges between Badiucao and Costantini: the shared urgency of using artistic practice as a means of aesthetic revelation and direct action in defense of human rights, especially in a historical moment harried by the overproduction and saturation of informational space where the excluded names, voices, and bodies risk remaining invisible.
Finally, the Line of Duty exhibition marks the initial trace of a big question: what resonance can art have in the complex intertwining of geopolitical power and social inequalities? The works-lives of Badiucao and Costantini pave the way by creating imaginaries of resistance: visual but also symbolic lines, which like faults breach the wall of globalized violence and the mechanics of consolidated power
If the former operates a direct critique of the repressive apparatus of his native country through a language strained between parody and disquiet, the latter uses drawing as a moment of synthesis: the repeated and successful attempt to create iconic figures out of the silhouettes victimized by global news, which, for example, became the object of political action with the silhouette of Patrick Zaki or the drawings in support of the Iranian uprising. Thus, another resonance emerges between Badiucao and Costantini: the shared urgency of using artistic practice as a means of aesthetic revelation and direct action in defense of human rights, especially in a historical moment harried by the overproduction and saturation of informational space where the excluded names, voices, and bodies risk remaining invisible.
Finally, the Line of Duty exhibition marks the initial trace of a big question: what resonance can art have in the complex intertwining of geopolitical power and social inequalities? The works-lives of Badiucao and Costantini pave the way by creating imaginaries of resistance: visual but also symbolic lines, which like faults breach the wall of globalized violence and the mechanics of consolidated power.
March 16, 2023
GIANLUCA COSTANTINI DRAWS
FOR HRW FILM FESTIVAL IN LONDON 2023
The Human Rights Watch Film Festival, now in its 27th year in London, presents a lineup of 10 award-winning, international documentary films in partnership with Barbican Cinema, and generously supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
The festival program, presented in person at the Barbican from March 16-24, includes in-depth Q&As and panel discussions with filmmakers, film participants, activists, and Human Rights Watch researchers following all screenings. The films will also be available to catch up digitally across the UK and Ireland on the festival website from March 20-26. Tickets go on sale to Barbican and Human Rights Watch members on February 15 and to the public on February 16.
This year’s edition covers a broad range of themes and topics, but it is the determination and courage of individuals to stand up for their freedom and rights that shines through. John Biaggi, director of the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, said:
We are very happy to present our full program of 10 powerful, important films and conversations in person at the Barbican. This year our program spotlights the risks taken by land defenders, the legacy and continuation of colonialism, the fight for people to make their own decisions about their bodies and actions, structural discrimination, and the impact of war on people’s day-to-day lives. It’s also important to both the festival and the Barbican that our program is accessible to all, and we’re delighted that the majority of our program will be audio described and presented with captions for attendees who are D/Deaf and hard of hearing.
Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, said:
Human Rights Watch Film Festival inspires us to celebrate the courage of individuals who stand up for their freedom and rights. Players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £1 billion to support good causes and charities across Great Britain. This includes Human Rights Watch work in supporting marginalized voices, giving them a platform to tell their stories, raise awareness on key human rights issues, and encouraging justice and equality.
Jonathan Gleneadie, acting head of Barbican Cinema, said:
We are proud to once again host the Human Rights Watch Film Festival and this selection of compelling and significant films highlighting the resolve of so many brave individuals in the face of discrimination and oppression. It is notable that we are able to work closely with the festival to ensure that the majority of screenings and conversations are accessible to all, including two screenings of ‘I Didn’t See You There’ in a relaxed environment for the first time with the festival. We look forward to welcoming festival filmmakers, participants, and all audiences to our cinemas for in-depth and inspiring screenings conversations with human rights experts.
March 20, 2023
FEMME VIE LIBERTÉ, PARIS
Femme Vie Liberté, un projet à découvrir mercredi 8 mars, 2023
Initié par le Musée d’Art Moderne et le Palais de Tokyo, Femme Vie Liberté met en lumière 100 affiches créées dans l’urgence souvent de manière anonyme, à découvrir du 8 au 12 mars au musée. Ces affiches pourront être emportées par les visiteurs.ses dimanche 12 mars après-midi.
#ZanZendegiAzadi, #FemmeVieLiberté, depuis cinq mois ces mots sont synonymes de lutte et d’espoir pour les Iraniennes et Iraniens qui se battent pour leur liberté et pour leurs droits, au prix de leur vie et de celle de leurs proches.
La mort de Mahsa Amini, jeune femme kurde tuée par la police des mœurs le 16 septembre 2022, a déclenché un mouvement de protestation qui s’est emparé de toutes les villes d’Iran. Nombre de femmes iraniennes sont descendues dans la rue, soutenues par les hommes pour crier leur colère face au régime et à la loi instaurée depuis la révolution islamique de 1979. Toutes et tous réclament plus de libertés, notamment la fin du port du voile obligatoire, et des changements profonds dans le pays.
Le régime iranien répond par la violence, la répression, la torture et inflige aux personnes arrêtées de lourdes peines, menant parfois à la condamnation à mort.
March 26, 2023
One hundred and twenty eyes
will meet their gazes every morning...
"I woke up early; an inauguration awaits me in Pesaro, a special event. There's a history: I have been to this city several times before to talk about human rights. There's a group from Amnesty that has become fond of my work as an artist and believes it is useful for civic education with both boys and girls. This makes me happy and always available for their initiatives. Today's event is special because it will remain permanently in the school. Professor Paola Moresco, in collaboration with Cristina Campagna from Amnesty Pesaro, is always looking for new ideas to engage boys and girls in understanding human rights.
This time, the idea is to set up an exhibition at Mamiani High School that gathers the 60 portraits I created for the 60th anniversary of Amnesty, which have been compiled in the book 'Human Right Portraits' published by BeccoGiallo. The 60 portraits will welcome the students every day at the school's entrance. One hundred and twenty eyes will meet the gazes of the students."
"The setup was curated by the students of the institute in collaboration with students from the Art High School Mengaroni and with the essential assistance of the school collaborator Davide Bartolomeoli; it is an event that involved many people.
The train from Ravenna to Pesaro is very relaxing; often, glimpses of the sea can be seen. Many years ago, I traveled the stretch to Rimini for an entire year, throughout the period of my civil service. I know many views, houses, and train stations by heart. It was a time without a cellphone, and the only thing I did during the journey was read and look outside. Now, as I approach Pesaro, my thoughts are always on work. I always try to invent new ways to communicate and reach as many people as possible. Communication is truly an interesting art. Even a simple post on Facebook can change things, bring someone closer to distant and difficult issues; even a simple comment is valuable. Human rights are always in danger, and I need to shed light on some unheard cases to break through indifference.
At the station, Cristina is waiting for me, as she does every time I come to Pesaro, and we go together to the school. She tells me about some events they have organized. Amnesty groups are truly special; I have met many, and almost all of them are special, regardless of age. When we arrive at school, the attention is different. Many journalists and photographers are waiting for us. Roberto Lisotti, the school principal, welcomes us, and soon after, Camilla Murgia, the Youth Policy Councilor, and USP manager Alessandra Belloni join us.
They take many photos, and a student reads a beautiful text about the exhibition and the importance of human rights. It's a beautiful, sunny, and emotional moment."
"A silhouette of Patrick Zaky is attached to the wall near the stairs, and my drawing of a woman cutting her hair is also displayed on the first floor. We are heading towards the auditorium, where I will talk about my work. And to think that I was a very quiet person, who listened absentmindedly, who learned with difficulty. There are many students, about seventy, and I start just like that, by telling who I was, all my school problems, and how the Art Institute saved my life, cared for me like a child. Then we talk about the drawings, art, and violated rights.
The students listen, but ask few questions, it often happens lately. They listen in great silence and great attention, take notes, but perhaps the things I tell are too dramatic for their ages, too seemingly impossible to solve. But I know that some of them will do something; when they hear the name Patrick Zaky, they will be able to tell their parents his story, when they hear the name Mahsa Amini, they will know that she was killed for a strand of hair outside her veil. They will know.
That's why it's important to go to schools, speak, get to know, interact with the teachers, the real ones, those who understand that there's more than just the curriculum. Like those who saved me in that difficult moment for me, many years ago, before taking the train that took me to Rimini."
May 15, 2023
TAHRIR STREET – BUILDING 48
The first Palestinian Comics Exhibitions
Which was launched as an initiative by Palestinian artists to commemorate the seventy-fifth Nakba
15/05/2023 at 4:30 pm, the exhibition will continue until 1/6
from 14:00 to 20:00 pm, at 3 Dar Awwad St., Old City, Ramallah
With: Leila Abdelrazaq, Gianluca Costantini, Samir Harb, Seth Tobocman, Hamza Abuayyash, Mohammad Sabaanh, Hala Saif, Dania Omari, Sara Shehadh, Noor Totah, Haneen Nazzal, Jihan Yeya Abo Lashein, Karmel Khalil, Mueen Hammad, Hiba Hamdan, Khalid Ladadwah, Shahd Alshamaly, Shahd Alruzze, Ahmed Sabri Abu Nada, Omar R. Shalayel, Michael Jabareen, Fouad al Yamani, Azeez Azeez, Ethan Heitner, Ziad Khaddash and Faris Sabaneh.
July 25, 2023
"THE ARRIVAL OF PATRICK ZAKY IN BOLOGNA And, in the end, the drawing and the artist met the original..."
"Every day for the past 15 years, I have been drawing the deprivation of human rights, illustrating individuals who have been denied the freedom to express themselves or the freedom of movement. People from all over the world, as there are no nations where these rights are not violated.
When an artist decides to step into the field, to engage with reality, things can become challenging. Protecting human rights is not a walk in the park; it's a genuine barricade, a trench. To defend human rights in Turkey, I was prosecuted and accused of terrorism by the Turkish government. To advocate for human rights in Palestine, I was accused of anti-Semitism (and there is no accusation more painful) and dismissed by CNN. To protect human rights, I have been strongly advised not to go to many countries, including Egypt. But as far as I'm concerned, these are all badges of honor."
"Over 3 years ago, I drew Patrick, entangled in barbed wire, but with a slight smile on his lips. For these years, that wire has been a symbol of militarization, torture, confinement, but also the symbol of Amnesty International. Inside the barbed wire, there is a lit candle, and this candle has been Patrick. I drew Patrick as I drew all the others, with the same attention and love, but here in Italy, this drawing became part of an unprecedented popular movement in support of a prisoner of conscience. In a few days, the drawing took flight and was no longer mine. It emerged from social networks and began to appear in the arcades of Bologna; the mayor wanted it large, 30 meters high, right in this square during a complex period like that of Covid. In those days, I received messages from moved people passing through this deserted square. Then the rector and the pro-rector asked me for something for the University, and so we filled the Library of Alma Mater with 160 silhouettes, calling it 'A Chair for Zaki.' These silhouettes invaded Italy, at festivals, concerts, homes, and balconies. We flew a kite with Patrick's drawing on the beaches of Romagna and then in various cities. We filled the arcades from Via Saragozza to San Luca with Patrick and 49 other political prisoners from around the world. I drew an entire comic book about Patrick. We placed a large drawing under the two towers... These are just some of the things done over the years to demand Patrick's release but also that of all the other prisoners. And now that he is free, all the others are a bit freer too.
Our task, or I would say duty, is precisely to try to change the rules through a different vision. I am interested in an art that interacts with the community, an art that shares and does not impose. For me, art is a way to navigate discomfort, conflict, aid to others, a way to work with the political and civil space. Art helps me not to look the other way."
July 28, 2023
GIANLUCA COSTANTINI DRAWS FOR: VOYAGER DANS L’EUROPE
From August 24 I will be traveling to draw some European cities. Traveling occupies an important part of the existence of many of us who, for many reasons, leave their habitual residence with the idea of returning.
Traveling implies the awareness of moving over a limited period, that is to say long enough not to be a simple walk, but with a structure sufficiently defined so it cannot be confused with permanent migration or wandering.
A travel defined by a specific purpose, following a reasoned itinerary.
The main cities of the trip will be: Cologne, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Brussels, Winchester, Stonehenge, Oxford, Birmingham, York, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Eberdeen, Ullapool. If you have any advice, I look forward to hearing them, if you live in these cities, contact me.
October 16, 2023
PORTRAITS OF JOURNALISTS IN THE ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT
Source: CPJ Committee to Protect Journalists
CPJ is investigating all reports of journalists killed, injured, detained or missing in the war, including those hurt as hostilities spread to neighboring Lebanon.
Portraits: https://www.channeldraw.org/2023/10/16/portraits-of-journalists-in-the-israel-gaza-conflict/
December 14, 2023
On December 10th, a vigil was held at Jose Rizal Park in Seattle to honor the 63 journalists and media workers whose lives were lost in the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. My portraits served as a remembrance of their faces.
On Dec. 10, over a hundred community members joined in a candlelight vigil to honor the 63 journalists and media workers whose lives have been lost in the latest Israel–Hamas war. Some held drawings by artist Gianluca Costantini while others held candles.
Supporters of press freedom gathered to commemorate the journalists who have given their lives in the past two months to keep the world informed of what is happening in Palestine. This siege has proven to be the most dangerous battlefield for journalists since the collection of names began by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in 1992.
December 17, 2023
ATLANTA JOURNALISTS HOLD VIGIL FOR JOURNALISTS KILLED IN ISRAEL HAMAS WAR
Calls for another ceasefire in Gaza continued Saturday in Atlanta at Freedom Park where a vigil was held for journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas war.
The ceremony was organized by Atlanta-based journalists.
Imam Salah Wazir read the names of all 64 journalists killed in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, as confirmed by the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“They gave their lives in the front lines and were caught in the crossfire,” Imam Wazir said.
While the event was not a Free Palestine rally, some speakers, like Imam Wazir, did call for a ceasefire at the event.
“In my Friday sermon I said, and I say it now publicly, ‘Two wrongs will not make it right. Three wrongs won’t make it right. War and counter-violence is being used as a solution to our problems. It won’t work,’” he said.
