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Social Justice 2008, 12 Posters by Luba Lukova (Unbound)

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"Social Justice 2008 - Metaphors at Work"

If you are the type of individual who believes the purpose of art is to emotionally move and inspire you with powerful images and messages, then "Social Justice 2008," is an exhibition you must see. If you don't consider yourself that type of a person, come see it anyway, you will be rewarded with a visual display that attacks your senses the minute you enter the exhibit. Renowned, New York based, Bulgarian born, graphic artist and designer, Luba Lukova has masterfully created a series of 12 posters 16" x 24", that directly tackle the subject of social injustice. Lukova uses simple, yet powerful visual metaphors to produce thought provoking images designed to make us think about such issues as the possible failure of the social security system, world peace, corporate corruption, and health care coverage among others. This remarkable exhibit is currently on display at the Rose Lehrman Art Gallery, located on the campus of Harrisburg Area Community College, March 3, 2008 through March 27, 2008.

I had the pleasure of corresponding with Ms. Lukova over the past few weeks and asked her when she began working on the "Social Justice 2008" portfolio. Her reply, "I have always been inspired to work on projects that address social issues. Six of the posters in the portfolio: Health Coverage, Social Security, Privacy, Brainwashing, Income Gap and Corporate Corruption were created very recently. The remaining six posters I have done over the past ten years for various clients but I felt the messages are still current and the images belong to the `Social Justice 2008' portfolio".

Lukova was personally involved in the installation of the exhibit at the gallery. The main gallery is not very large, measuring approximately 36' x 30'. The first thing that catches your eye upon entering the exhibit is the 4-sided, chrome display unit centrally located in the gallery. The display itself, which is 8 feet high and 4 feet wide, gives you the impression of scaffolding. The posters are randomly displayed on the frame of the display in a horizontal and vertical pattern running three posters wide by four high. Because the artwork is on paper, the lighting, while direct, is rather subdued. She uses simple shapes and images along with stark contrasts of either light color against a dark background or a dark color against a light background to help convey her powerful messages. Lukova is also unique in that, unlike most contemporary graphic artists who use computers to create their original designs, she still creates them by hand using whatever media, such as acrylics, oils or colored pencils, is available. I asked Kim Banister, MFA, the curator of the Gallery, why the art was so simplistic in design and its use of color, she stated that "Lukova works with basic colors such as red, blue, yellow, and green on solid or white backgrounds, in an effort to keep the focus not on the artwork itself but rather on its intended message." She integrates and morphs shapes with images we are all familiar such as a dove, a pie, the skeleton of a fish, the frame of an umbrella or images of people, to convey very powerful and thought provoking messages. Along with its simple image, each poster carries a brief one or two word title that helps tie the image on paper to the statement of each poster.

One such image, entitled Peace, at first glance appears to be a white dove against a plain blue background. However, as you more closely look at the poster, you begin to notice that the dove is not really a dove at all but rather a series of smaller images forming the shape of a dove. When I stopped and examined the "dove" I saw the images of warfare within it (see detailed image). There were soldiers, atomic mushroom clouds, missiles, jet fighters, tanks, and bombs that formed the shape of the "dove." Lukova artfully produced an image universally recognized by most as one of peace, with one of war, by juxtaposing images associated warfare to make a very powerful statement against war and strife.
Social Security, a poster depicting the plight of the social security system in the United States, incorporates the boney remains of a fish skeleton while portraying the fish's head as a US flag. There are few people living in the United States today that are not aware of the problems that exist within the Social Security Administration. Again, Lukova has taken images we are all familiar with and morphed them together to make a statement about an issue that everyone living in America needs to be concerned with. The skeleton of the fish implies everything has been picked clean and the flag deftly ties it to the United States. This poster leaves very little doubt about the financial state of the social security system in the United States.
Corporate Corruption as its title implies, deals with the issue of corruption within corporations. The black, high-backed leather chair of a greedy corporate executive evokes thoughts of power, authority, wealth, and control. A bird of prey, or in this case the leg of a bird of prey, such as the one attached to the base of the chair, also conveys a message of power and control. These separate images of power and control have been combined to create a single new image that speaks to the issue of corporate corruption, that of ironclad control over the profits the corporation earns, legally or otherwise! How can someone look at this image and not think of the billions of dollars in annual profits earned by an oil company or the huge bonuses given to CEO's each year?

Each of the 12 posters in this exhibit tugs at or perhaps in some cases rips at your emotions. Some, such as the poster on the right entitled, Health Coverage, showing an open umbrella with no material over it, are almost whimsical. At first glance I found myself laughing at the imagery only to later realize the reality behind its message was very sobering. Yet another, entitled Brainwashing, depicting an old washboard "cleaning" a person's brain, attempts to raise the issue of just how much control does the media exert in our lives today? No matter how you may feel about these issues before viewing this exhibit, you will surely leave with a new and fresh perspective about almost everyone of them. Luba Lukova has clearly mastered the visual metaphor as an art form, creating simple yet thought provoking images designed to make us think and perhaps reevaluate our stance on certain social issues we may have not given much to previously. "Social Justice 2008" will make a lasting impression on you. It may make you laugh, it may make you cry, and in some instances it may even make you angry, and there's nothing wrong with that. Art has the power to affect us emotionally in many ways and this exhibition is a perfect example of how it can influence our thoughts and perceptions. Lukova's hope is that it will make some of us look at life and the world around us differently and perhaps spur us to action in an attempt to put an end to some injustices depicted in her posters. I was very moved by this exhibition and I think you will be too!

Powerful images full of meaning and emotion! The printing is exquisite. The posters look great individually but they also make a wonderful vibrant panel if displayed together. Well done!

Art that conveys meaning and encourages dialogue has always been my favorite, and this collection of posters does that wonderfully. Many of the posters are aimed at perennial issues that we'll still be discussing decades from now. Not only are the images powerful, but the printing was done very well. A wonderful collection that will encourage me to follow the artists work in the future.