Students across the university are invited to send in their submissions for a new digital art competition and exhibition based on the themes of identity, injustice, and artivism.
‘The Human Experience: Know Justice, No Peace’ is co-organised by two Kent student societies: the Afro-Disasporic Legal Network and Kent People of Colour Arts, with prizes sponsored by Kent Law School.
The competition is open to all students at Kent with a deadline for submissions on Sunday 21 March 2021. The exhibition will be launched on Wednesday 24 March 2021.
Artworks submitted will be exhibited publicly on an online platform and judged by representatives from Kent Law School and the student societies involved.
Full details are included in the ‘call for submission’ below.
Call for submission: The Human Experience: Know Justice, No Peace
Art has always played a special role in fostering community among people, especially those from differing backgrounds. It provides a way to bridge gaps and bring together people fighting for similar causes. Throughout time art has found itself at the forefront of activism, or “artivism”. It has worked as a mechanism to amplify the voices of those who may otherwise not be heard. It has been art that allows people to push boundaries, communicate their struggles and work to change the narratives around many social issues.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for students to engage with our community at the University of Kent. We know students are longing for more events where they can come together and truly engage with their communities. With that in mind we the Afro-Diasporic Legal Network and UKC People of Colour Art Society, sponsored by the Kent Law School, present to you ‘The Human Experience: Know Justice, No Peace.’ A digital art exhibition that will provide a space to share your art and allow your voice to be heard by people within and outside the University. We want to bring awareness to students of colour on campus, their strengths, their passions, the issues they face and provide a form of reprieve during this mentally and emotionally taxing time.
This exhibition is open to ALL students who wish to share and submit work in the form of painting, mixed media, photography and audio (spoken word and music). The work must highlight any of the following core themes:
- Identity: Identity captures our personalities, beliefs, qualities, and ideas. It allows us to be multidimensional and unique. It makes it so that we can mould into different spaces, belong to and relate with different groups of people. So, tell us “Who are you?
- Injustice: Discrimination, Gender inequality, Sectarianism, those are but a few of the injustices and disparities we face in our lives time and time again. What does it make you feel? Frustration, anger, denial, passion, acceptance. Do the emotions cripple you or make you want to fight? Channel those feelings and tell us what injustice means to you
- Artivism: Given our recent political climate filled with violence and discrimination, Artivism advances creativity as means of advocacy and social progress. It creates a canvas for the oppressed in a world where their voices have been toned down and their freedoms limited. It ensures that we cannot be overlooked. We want you to illustrate the struggles of your home country. Take this opportunity to highlight inequalities across the world and stand in solidarity with their movements.
Submissions will be accepted until Sunday 21 March 2021.
The exhibit will officially launch on Wednesday 24 March 2021.
The competition will be judged by representatives from the Law School and the societies involved. Winners will be awarded prizes in the categories of:
- Best Submission for Painting or Illustration
- Best Submission for Photography
- Best Submission for Audio
- People’s Choice
To participate in the exhibition, please complete this form.
If you have any further questions about the exhibition, please feel free to email the organisers at thehumanexperienceart@gmail.com
