Peace appeals, reminders of human rights, calls to protect nature – posters have proven an effective medium in accompanying social and political struggles worldwide since the 1920s. Through the poster, these universal and timeless topics are able to reach a broad public and encourage critical debate.
While some posters are meant to shed light and are aimed at reflection, others appeal more strongly to the emotions of their audience. Some dismantle past and present autocrats cynically, ironically or humorously – while others construct idols that exemplify a different world. Symbols such as the raised fist or the dove of peace demonstrate their global and lasting power in ever new interpretations.
The designers, acting individually or collectively, are united by commitment and an emancipatory attitude as well as the conviction that resistance requires its own aesthetic in order to function. The publication brings together works from around one hundred years that demonstrate the tradition of the poster as a medium of protest and assert its validity and necessity in the present day.
This edition is presented in extended length and a new design by Teo Schifferli. With texts by Lisa Bogerts, Silas Munro, ASARO, and Bettina Richter