By Shwetha Vasan and Wang Yuan
Join me as I interact with Paul Piercy, a well known artist based in Newcastle Upon Tyne who has been supporting the human rights movement by painting black portraits of activists from all around the world. Project ‘The Black Portraits’ has nothing to do with ethnicity or gender. Heads are portrayed entirely in black impasto; this evolved through wishing to find a high impact and relevant way of depicting those imprisoned or dead.
The first exhibition of The Black Portraits was at The MEM, Wallsend, Newcastle in October 2012. Supported by North Tyneside Council and The Customs House, South Shields.This exhibition included fifteen large (5’ x 3’6’’) oil paintings and one actual portrait. Since then further portraits have been painted these were most recently exhibited at the Discovery Museum, Newcastle from 16th January to 17th April 2016.
http://www.theblackportraits.org
https://www.facebook.com/TheBlackPortraits
He talks about the various ways in which one can stand up for their own rights. You don’t have to be violent, you don’t have to be famous or all over the television; change can be brought about by anybody who is willing to make a difference.
He also stresses the importance of modifying and updating the 70 year old UNHRC to suit today’s times.
Human Rights 70 