Karl Larocca, Political Poster Suite, 2017, Silkscreen on Reused Paper, 18 x 24 inches
In response to the Trump administration's restrictions on travel, over 75 artists from across the United States have donated more than 100 prints, drawings, paintings, and sculptures to a benefit exhibition in Brooklyn that's raising money for refugees. All of the proceeds raised from printmaker and curator Kirsten Flaherty's No Borders exhibition will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), an organization dedicated to providing legal aid to refugees seeking resettlement. All the pieces in the show have been priced at $200 and under, including works by Robert Longo, Claes Oldenburg, and Victoria Burge.In her curatorial statement, Flaherty writes about how the exhibition was inspired not only by an appeal to support the institutions working to resist Trump's agenda, but to gather a community of likeminded artists. In addition to donating the proceeds, at the end of the exhibition, the artists, publishers, and buyers involved will all be connected in order to foster future projects. Flaherty writes, "I believe, as do many of the artists involved, that it is the responsibility of artists to use their visual talents in resistance to injustice and these exhibitions strive to raise vital funding while at the same time foster a sense of support among creative individuals in a difficult time."No Borders is the second fundraiser organized by Flaherty, following a one-day pop-up fundraiser she hosted at Rogue Space in Chelsea to benefit Standing Rock. The artworks in No Borders take aim at Trump's proposed travel ban as well as the racially-motivated human rights attacks taking place in our country. One particular piece by Karl Larocca reads simply, "I've Read More Books Than Trump." There's also a large acrylic wall installation by Pablo Medina that features a flag with "We Are" written on it, held aloft by three different plastic arms.No Borders runs Sunday, April 2nd from 1pm - 6pm at the Ground Floor Gallery in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Learn more about the No Borders exhibition on Facebook.Related:A Japanese Art Collective Had a Funeral for Liberty on the US–Mexico BorderArtists Address Border Control: The Writing's on the WallRobotic Sculptures Will Cross the U.S.-Mexico Border
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