The Art of Changemakers

The Art of Changemakers

Multidisciplinary Exhibition

Artist: Mary Moynihan 

The Art of Changemakers multidisciplinary exhibition features photography, poetry, and storytelling and is a visual and poetical reflection on the stories of human rights defenders today. The Art of Changemakers highlights the stories of the five inspirational human rights defenders honoured in 2024 for the Front Line Defenders Annual Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.  Artist Mary Moynihan has created a series of poetry and ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ statements combining text and photographic imagery to accompany the stories of the five human rights defenders. The artistic work and stories are a celebration of the work of human rights defenders and a reflection on peace, equality and human rights. The exhibition is a collaboration between Front Line Defenders and Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality for the sixth annual international Dublin Arts and Human Rights Festival.

View festival programme at www.smashingtimes.ie    Info: 087 2214245, info@smashingtimes.ie

The laureates for the 2024 Front Line Defenders Annual Award are:

• Gamito Dos Santos Carlos, Executive Director of Ajopaz, the youth association for peace and member of Kóxukhuro, Mozambique
• Muñecas de Arcoíris (Rainbow Dolls), Trans Women Collective, represented by Jennifer Bexara Córdova, Honduras
• Sammi Deen Baloch, General Secretary, Voice for Baloch Missing Persons, Balochistan province, Pakistan

• Doros Polykarpou, founding member of KISA – Movement for Equality, Support and Anti-Racism, Cyprus
• We Are Not Numbers (WANN), Youth-Led Palestinian Storytelling Non-Profit Project, Gaza, Palestine

The Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was established in 2005 to honour the work of Human Rights Defenders (HRD) who are courageously making outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves. The Award focuses international attention on the work and struggles of HRDs, providing a greater national and international platform to speak about and advocate for the human rights issues they are defending.

Laureates are selected from among scores of candidates who are put forward in a secure, public nomination process carried out towards the end of each year and Award winners are announced on the day of the Award Ceremony in Dublin, usually in May the following year. Laureates receive a modest financial prize, a protection grant  and support from Front Line Defenders teams on digital and physical security, advocacy, visibility, well-being and more.

“All of these winners face tremendous personal risk because of their human rights work. At Front Line Defenders we are in awe at their courage and determination.”

Alan Glasgow, Executive Director, 2024

Exhibition Credits

Mary Moynihan, Artist

Aisha Hamdulay and Conor Fortune, Front Line Defenders

Ciara Hayes, Producer, Smashing Times International Centre for the Arts and Equality

Exhibition Artworks

• Five art boards with stories of five Human Rights Defenders honoured in 2024 for the Front Line Defenders Annual Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk with photographic artworks
• Seven artworks combining photography and quotes inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Four artworks combining photography and poetry – On the Ledge of Courage, The Ship of Belonging, Changemaker and Totality of My Soul

The exhibition takes place from 17 September – 27 October 2024, Tuesday to Saturday from 11am – 4pm (closed for lunch 1.30pm – 2.30pm) at Dlr Mill Theatre Gallery, Dundrum, Dublin 16, D16 C5X6.