Artists Against Oppression is a collection of art reflecting on experiences and observations of oppression. The act of being an artist, in face of wretchedness such as the genocide in Gaza and Congo, the war in Sudan, and other atrocities, may seem pointless. A poem cannot halt a tank, a painting cannot freeze a bomb, and a film cannot dissolve apartheid. What, as artists, is our role in the struggle for liberation across the world?
The Gallery
The Artists
Ankita Sadarjoshi (She/Her)
A writer of poems and lyrical prose, she is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at Columbia College Chicago. With a background in dramatic arts, her central focuses include experimenting with the formal constraints of poetry, blending theatre and language, and writing ekphrastically.
Motaz and the Moon
KOMM, SÜSSER TOD / The Antidote to Mental Suffering
Callum Meyer
Callum Meyer (he/him) is a 19-year-old transgender artist from rural Iowa with a low-income background. He is an avid communist and advocate …
Claire Filipiak (she/her) is an experimental artist who enjoys using a variety of traditional and digital mediums. She aims to use her abilities as an artist to explore innovative techniques, continue her artistic growth, and convey emotion through vibrant illustrations that create a meaningful impact in the world of visual storytelling.
Free Palestine
Claire Filipiak
Clara Cox (they/she) is a third-year student at DePaul University studying Philosophy, Art, and Spanish. In her first year at DePaul, she had the privilege of studying abroad in Jerusalem and other parts of Palestine.
from the river to the sea
Clara Cox
Anya Cronin (they/them) is a Chicago-based mixed media artist, activist, and senior at Columbia College. Working towards their B.A. in Fine Arts with a minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, their work is informed by their intersectional lens on the world as a gender non-conforming, queer, Filipinx-American.
Screwed
Anya Cronin
I am Avin HannahSmith (he/him), born and raised in Chicago. I am primarily a mixed media artist experimenting with new media in the following forms: audio, video, installation, and virtual reality.
Expressways Stole Our Land
Avin HannahSmith
Hiya Kids / War Machine / Terrorist? / What Privilege?
Christin Pruess
Christin Pruess (they/she) is a queer artist from Indiana using art to cope with nuanced realities of oppression, privilege, and decolonization efforts.
Eisha Baleegh (she/her), a Pakistan Muslim artist.
The Scared Rubble
Eisha Baleegh
Hedaya Hasan (she/her) is a Palestinian writer and designer based in the Chicagoland area.
Maftoul
Hedaya Hasan
No more Transgender lives taken. Outlive your oppressor.
Isaac Woodard
Isaac Woodard (he/him) is a multidisciplinary fine artist exploring his relationship with the queer identity through contemporary, abstract, and graphic artwork.
Shaarawy
Hossam Shaker
Kae Osei (he/him) is a Ghanaian writer and photographer currently attending Howard University. His poetry has been awarded and showcased by various sources including Illinois Humanities,…
My Name
Kae Osei
Nahyoung Hyun
BLK BOY, MAD / dreaming of heaven / in conversation with the heavens
Nahyoung Hyun (she/her) is a film and television major. She is passionate about telling stories about her experience as an Asian-American experience to heal herself and anyone that can relate.
Pulse of Palestine is a documentary about the West Bank, primarily its culture and its martyrs. It will premiere at 1pm on April 28th, 2024 at the Chicago Palestine Film Festival.
Pulse of Palestine
Leena Nabulsi
فَاِنَّ مَعَ الۡعُسۡرِ يُسۡرًا ۙ (Verily With Hardship Comes Ease )
Nadiah Alyafai
Nadiah Alyafai (she/her) is a Yemeni American, born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Illinois. She is a full-time student at the University of Illinois in Chicago.
Ruby Bean (they/them) is an illustrator and Freelance Muralist from Austin, Texas. Previously was an Editorial Illustrator for the Chronicle is now the Creative Director of Manifest 2024. Instagram: @Rubybeanart
Artist calls for a ceasefire now!
Ruby Bean
What’s up? My name is Sable (she/her) and this is my art! Growing up as a minority, people expect art to be about cultural generational trauma. Instead, I work on celebrating black expression and happiness in my art.
Untitled
Sable Landingham
Samaher Aburabah
Acting more American’ ultimately hurts Muslim, Arab immigrant families / Lack of separation between culture, religion hinders Muslim girls from sex education they deserve / Orland Park Prayer Circle
Untitled
I am Samiyyah Lanier (she/her). I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago in a predominantly creative household. I am earning a bachelor's degree at Columbia College Chicago, majoring in film and television and minoring in photography.
Blossom
Samiyyah Lanier
Inspired by the spoken word song, "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" by Gil-Scott Heron, this video showcases various protests for the BLM movement and Gaza/Palestine.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Sumana Syed