Winners of Passion for Freedom Awards

Winners of Passion for Freedom Awards

One Law for All's 4th Passion for Freedom Art Festival opened on 3 November with a private viewing at Unit24 Gallery. Hundreds attended the viewing.

The festival, which is addressing the issue of freedom, is showcasing the work of over 40 artists from 20 countries worldwide (including censored works shown in London for the very first time) under the direction of Agnieszka Kolek, KM Curator and Marianna Fox, Assistant Curator.

Winners of the 2012 Freedom Awards were: Osailys Milian Avila from Cuba (1st prize); Ferri Farahmandi for "Serene" (2nd prize); and Fiona Dent for "Madonna of Mutilations" (3rd prize). The winning pieces were selected by judges Francisco Laranjo (Artist and Head of School of Arts at Porto University) and Nick Cohen (Writer and Columnist). A special Freedom Award went to Robb Leech for “My Brother the Islamist”; the Public Award went to Maria Strzelecka for "Mother Anarchy".

To see the winning pieces visit: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/passion-for-freedom-awards-2012/.

At the event, One Law for All Spokesperson, Maryam Namazie, said:

“Even here in Europe – Islamism’s Sharia laws and fatwas of censorship and death for everything from blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy become secular ones – where the artist or dissenter is not routinely imprisoned or killed (even if the threat is always there) but proclaimed ‘guilty’ of offence, disrespect, intolerance, and Islamophobia, thereby making censorship and self-censorship ‘justifiable’.

“Where it rules, Islamism forbids you to dissent; here, it convinces you that dissent is impossible.

“Yet fear is only part of the story; it is what we do despite the fear that counts...”

The festival continues until 10 November 2012 at UNIT24 GALLERY, 20 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0FD. Other events are:

* A screening of “My Brother the Islamist” by Robb Leech on 06/11/2012 at 7pm followed by a discussion with the film-maker.

* A screening of “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry” by Alison Klayman and Press Evening on 09/11/2012 at 7pm.

NOTES:

1. To donate to the important work of One Law for All, please either send a cheque made payable to One Law for All to BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK or pay via Paypal. We also need regular support and also for supporters to commit to giving at least £5-10 a month via direct debit. You can donate via Paypal or find out more about how to join the 100 Club here: http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/donate/. If you shop online, please do so via the Easy Fundraising’s website: http://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/register-supporter/?char=40474. It won’t cost you anything extra but can help raise much needed funds for One Law for All.

2. For more information, contact:
One Law for All
BM Box 2387, London WC1N 3XX, UK
onelawforall@gmail.com
http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/
http://www.passionforfreedom.co.uk/

ENDS

© Scoop Media