 |
El muralismo y la justicia social han sido
conectados a través de la historia, desde los murales de México después de la
revolución y el Renacimiento de Harlem hasta los movimientos modernos del arte
urbano y grafiti. A través de su proyecto Acción
Ashé, Joel Bergner ha colaborado
con varios grupos comunitarios y organizaciones en varios países del mundo,
como el International Rescue Committee,
Amnistía Internacional, y el Comité de Refugiados y Inmigrantes de los EEUU
(USCRI), para criar arte publico que defiende los derechos humanos y explora
temas sociales.
El Viaje de una Sobreviviente: El Mural Contra
la Violencia Domestica
Colaboré con la ONG DASH, que trabaja con
sobrevivientes de la violencia domestica en Washington DC, para realizar este
mural. Hice entrevistas con las mujeres y las trabajadores que las apoyan, quien
compartieron sus experiencias conmigo. Diseñé un mural que cuenta la historia
de una mujer que sobrevive la trauma de la violencia domestica, escapando con
su hijo para criar una vida de paz con el apoyo de familiares y una trabajadora
social. La pintura incluye mujeres de varias razas y nacionalidades, mostrando
que este problema es universal en todo el mundo. Cuando terminé el mural,
organizamos un evento publico para inaugurarlo. Había música en vivo, comida,
una presentación, y tres sobrevivientes de la violencia domestica contaron sus
historias para la gente-- ¡Fue muy
fuerte!
detalles:
 | ||
.
|
 |
 |
| El evento público, inaugurando el mural |
El Mural de los Refugiados Globales 2009: Silver Spring, Maryland
En 2009
colaboré con la ONG internacional de refugiados IRC (International Rescue Committee) para realizar un mural que celebra
las culturas de refugiados internacionales y cuenta sus historias de opresión,
violencia y sobrevivencia. Pinté el mural en Silver Spring, Maryland, donde el
IRC tiene un centro de reasentamiento de refugiados. Entrevisté tres refugiados
locales que querían compartir sus historias para el publico a través de arte
publico. El mural fue criado para educar a los residentes locales y visitantes
sobre las culturas ricas de los refugiados, sus historias personales
inspirantes y los abusos trágicos de derechos humanos que causaron ellos huir
de sus patrias.
La primera parte
muestra la realidad de Georges, un refugiado del Congo (RDC), quien era un
alcalde en una ciudad pequeña. Cuando un grupo armado rebelde invadió su
región, él trató de mejorar la situación con diplomacia, pero cuando no
funcionó tuvo que huir rápido con su familia para escapar la muerte. Fueron a
un centro de refugiados en Kenia, y después a los EEUU, donde esta tratando de
recomenzar la vida. El mural muestra dos
problemas graves del conflicto: los soldados niños y la violación de mujeres como
acto de guerra. La segunda parte es sobre Taameem, una mujer de Irak. Cuando su
querido hermano, quien tenia ideales democráticas y progresistas, fue asesinado
por una milicia fundamentalista, Taameem escapó para evitar el mismo destino.
No ha visto su familia ni su país por varios años, y ahora trabaja para apoyar a
otros refugiados en Maryland. La tercera parte del mural trata de la historia
de Mai, una refugiada de Myanmar (antes se llamaba Birmania), en Asia. Por sus
actividades con una iglesia cristiana, ella y su familia fueron perseguidos por
el gobierno autoritario, que no respeta la libertad de religión. Tristemente,
ella no puede regresar a su patria para ver a su familia.
La historia
del mural fue transmitido en el canal internacional Al-Jazeera y en varias publicaciones locales. El proyecto fue
patrocinado por el Arts and
Humanities Council of Montgomery County, y está en la pared fuera del Kefa Café en el centro de Silver Spring.
Detalles:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |
El Mural Afro-Colombiano: Currulao y Desplazamiento 2009
Este mural en Washington DC fue una colaboración entre yo y un grupo de mis amigos afrocolombianos que viven en la área, la mayoría con asilo político por el conflicto armado en su región de Colombia, la costa pacifica. El mural trata de su cultura fuerte y el gran desplazamiento de su pueblo por la falta de derechos humanos y el conflicto entre los paramilitares, la guerrilla, y el gobierno. Yo fui a la costa pacifica de Colombia para investigar los temas del mural y conocer a los familiares de mis amigos. Cuando volví, reuní con mis amigos para escoger las imágenes e ideas de la pintura. Lo pinté en la U Street, una calle comercial y cultural en Washington. El mural fue inaugurado con un gran evento público, con comida típica colombiana, una presentación de música y danza folklórica, una presentación del mural, y un discurso por activista afrocolombiano Marino Córdoba, quien contó su historia dramática de escapar tentativas de asesinato y su lucha por los desplazados de Colombia. El proyecto fue patrocinado por una beca de la DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Refugee & Immigrant Series 2011
This series of paintings were commissioned by the US Committee for
Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) for their 100 year anniversary. The
paintings will be displayed at anniversary events and will be made into a
poster series. They explore issues relating to refugees and immigrants
from many regions of the world over the last century.
 |
| 1910's: Throughout the late 1800's and early 1900's, millions of Europeans arrived in New York City in search of a better life. Many fled poverty and persecution. |
 |
| 1920's: Edith Bremer founded the original International Institutes around the US to assist immigrants, especially women. Her philosophy was ahead of its' time in that she emphasized not only helping immigrants learn English and adjust to life in the US, but also valuing and celebrating their own cultures. Her institutes became the USCRI. |
 |
| 1930's: The SS St. Louis carried Jewish refugees to safety in the Americas in 1938 as Hitler's persecution intensified. However, the ship was turned back by authorities in Cuba, the US, and Canada, and was forced to return to Europe. Many passengers ended up being killed in the Holocaust. |
 |
| 1940's: As World War II came to a close, millions of people across Europe had become refugees. The United States took many in, who then studied to become American citizens. |
 |
| 1950's: After the Arab- Israeli War of 1948, many Palestinians fled to refugee camps in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, as well as Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other nations. They and their descendants continue to live in these camps, where they have faced numerous hardships. |
 |
| 1960's: The USCRI began an important annual report on the situation for refugees around the world, called the World Refugee Survey, which continues today. This and many other important developments took place in the 50's and 60's, when the world community recognized the plight of refugees and the UN began programs aimed at assisting them that continue to this day. |
 |
| 1970's: Many Vietnamese, as well as Cambodians, Laotians and ethnic Chinese, fled on rickety boats in the years following the Vietnam War. Known as the "boat people," they faced extreme conditions and were often not allowed into countries they attempted to flee to. The USCRI was involved in assisting them. |
 |
| 1980's: Sudanese and other African refugees faced crises due to war and hunger. Many ended up housed for years in terrible conditions in refugee camps, a situation known as "warehousing," which is a problem in many areas of the world. |
 |
| 1990's: Millions of Latin American immigrants and refugees have headed north to the US over the past few decades, including many unaccompanied minors, who have faced abuse and exploitation during the trip and after they arrive. |
 |
| 2000's: All around the world, refugees and immigrants continue to face xenophobic sentiments and harsh laws that often separate families. They continue to migrate in search of jobs, peace, and the hope of a better future for themselves and their children. |
El Salvador Community Mural Project
"El Inmigrante": San Francisco 2005
“El
Inmigrante (The Immigrant)” was painted in San Francisco’s Mission
District, an immigrant community, and it tells the story of an immigrant
making the difficult journey from his homeland to a large American
city. I based
this mural on conversations I had with close friends from Mexico,
Brazil, Iraq, Colombia and El Salvador about their experiences coming to
the US. The
right side shows the homeland that the Immigrant is leaving, including
both the positive aspects such as the culture, families, and natural
beauty, as well as the exploitation of workers, political unrest, and
other challenges. The Immigrant is also seen leaving his wife behind, in
reference to the painful separation of families that often accompanies
immigration. Arriving in the US on the left side, he encounters a world
that he finds cold, both physically and culturally, and one in which
people are zoned into an often soul-less media. But he also finds
positive aspects, such as some good people and more job opportunities.
Therefore, neither side is portrayed as a paradise nor as totally
negative. This mural was published in the New York Times, the UK journal CITY and other publications. Located on 23rd St. at Shotwell.details:
The El Salvador Mural: "Un Pasado Que Aún Vive (A Past That Still Lives)" 2004
“Un Pasado Que Aun Vive (A Past That Still Lives)” is located in San Francisco’s famous mural-filled Balmy Alley, and explores the past and present social issues and culture of El Salvador. It shows how the memories and trauma of the civil war in the 80’s and 90’s still live on today; if you look closely into the images of modern life, you will see the memories of massacres, kidnappings, and fallen heroes etched into the walls, mountains, and rivers. The mural also shows a woman with her young son with a letter from her husband, revealing that he is in the US working and longs to be reunited with his family back home. Many families have been painfully separated due to migration in search of jobs. I researched this mural while living and working in El Salvador, where I taught English and was an International Election Observer for the 2004 presidential elections, both through the organization CIS (Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad). details:
