With Iranian protests in the news, it may be a good time to consider the future of political graphics and their traditional material form- the poster. A fundamental truth of Printmaking is it’s identity as “the democratic art.” Sometimes to the point of cliche, prints are cited as a tool of political empowerment. While fine art prints often live in a world of white-walled galleries and archival framing, print media still exists as a means of disseminating information and rallying movements. The real change for the political print in recent years is its distribution model.
Rather than a printer toiling away in a shop, producing posters by the stack, images are communicated electronically and “the people” print their own. While something tactile is lost, the political print is a utilitarian object and must ultimately use the means most suited to it’s end. In 2009, that translates into downloadable graphics and the desktop printer. Here are some examples from Iran…
Which is not to say the old-fashioned approach to poster production is completely gone. LA street artist Brohmeini made some solid iconic posters over the summer inspired by events in Iran. See more pics after the jump.
Click here for more interesting Iranian Graphics.
These posters are simple but get the point across. Well done.