"FacingFaces"
- a tiny message in a bottle thrown into cyberspace
Violence is of all times and all cultures. It is and has always been, unfortunately, part
of human nature and probably will be part of human nature as long as we, as a species,
exist. Unless, of course, we terminate the problem by terminating ourselves. These last
words are obviously spoken by someone who faces violence on a daily basis, and chooses to
answer it ironically, to answer it cynically.
Nothing is more true. As the initiator and organizer of "FacingFaces," I am
confronted by violence every single day - not only through the daily headlines in my local
newspaper in Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, but also through simply living here,
walking the streets, and looking the 'bulls eye' straight in the eye.
Now I hear you say, "Ok, you're doing your part. So?"
Well, I might be doing my part but there is still so much more one can do to create
awareness and to say, "No to violence!"
On December 23rd, 2000, I read a headline that said, "5 year old girl abducted and
severely beaten almost to death by alleged narcotraficants."
Reading that article stopped my heart for a minute - or so it felt. It could have been my
beloved niece; or the neighboring girl that always smiled to me so sweetly, so trustingly;
or my little sister, not that little anymore, but always little in my heart.
And so, from that feeling, I decided to send a clear message in a tiny bottle out into the
cyber ocean: "No against violence against women and children." "Call for
artists to unite."
Was I expecting an answer? Yes. Was I expecting the response I received? I had hoped for
it, but the result of the first exhibition of "FacingFaces 2001" amazed me. We
were not all so cynical! Or, at least, I was not the only one who knew that something had
to be done to combat violence against women and children.
Eighty-three artists from thirty different countries read that first message, and the
result was an exhibition of one hundred and sixty-two diptychs, each one speaking out
against violence.
So there I was thinking, "Now I've done my part!"
And yes, in a certain way I was right. I had done my part. I had brought attention to the
case of Janeth, the 5 year old.
But what about this other headline, almost a year later to the day: "Mother of 4
slain by her husband over a divorce dispute".
The same city, but it could have happened in any other city in the world.
Was I done? I didn't think so. So here we were again, a Belgian artist and curator living
in Cd. Juárez, a city known for the mass abduction, torturing, raping and killings of
young women, and this time seventy-six artists and poets from all over the world are
saying no to violence against women and children. No to violence in Cd. Juárez. No to
violence anywhere.
But why stop here? Have I now done my part? Have we, all the artists and poets involved,
done our part?
I don't think so. Why? Because our voices are powerful. You only have to read a few of the
poems and feel how they touch your heart, how they change your mind. You only have to
visit a few of the artwork pages and feel how your eyes reach the most distant spot in
your heart and soul, the part of you that cries out, with us all, "No to violence
against women and children!".
So why not invite "FacingFaces: the selection" to visit your part of the world?
Together we can create more awareness, together we can create bigger and bigger waves in
our oceans connecting our continents, and together we can say no to violence.
I started by saying it would perhaps be best to terminate the human race. I end by saying,
instead, let's work together to create a better human race!
Cd. Juarez, Chih. Mexico -
Antwerp, Belgium - 2002-04
Gino d'Artali
Curator "FacingFaces"
Director C.A.U.S.E.
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