South African Workers are Dying for Justice

South African Workers are Dying for Justice

Chicago Anti-Apartheid

Activist artist Sarah Hodgson created the Anti-Apartheid poster entitled, “South African Workers are Dying for Justice” in an effort to promote the work of various national and statewide organizations that stood for labor rights, particularity the rights of African workers. With this poster Hodgson clearly states her strong stance on Apartheid by use of vibrant, contrasting yellow and red hues, in conjunction with the large black boldfaced, capitalized lettering of the title. Hodgson also included several passionately animated African faces, assembled together - also featured in the color black. The symbolic expression of the assembled African faces read as one unit with many faces and was perhaps intended by Hodgson to be interpreted to represent the power and solidarity of the Africans against the Apartheid regime. This creative gesture is both empowering and inspiring, as well as thought provoking and aesthetically pleasing. As stated in a quote by Gavin Jantjes, “One makes art with genuine optimism, with the belief that someone is going to understand, is going to accept ones expression as essentially…artistically truthful”, and this work my Hodgson is just that. A piece that was created to provoke, inspire, and motivate change though a one powerful, simply stated, visual. For this piece, techniques such as letterpress and linocuts were utilized by Hodgson to execute the aesthetic detail being conveyed in the texture and application of the elements featured and then offset printed, I believe. This poster was produced by the Africa Fund Labor Desk and was printed by Inkworks Press in 1992, both of which being companies that advocated movements concerning civil rights and social justice.

Columbia College Chicago Students

Chicago Anti-Apartheid Movement Collection, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago

College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago.

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