A Chennai girl Anjali Chandrashekar has been awarded with third prize at the United Nations Poster for Peace Contest presented by the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (ODA). 22-year-old Indian artist received the award at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.
Two art pieces ‘Break Free’ and ‘Cutting a Peace Deal’ of New York-based designer and "artivist" were selected in the competition. She has been doing this work since long time and participated in the numerous U.N. campaigns in the past.
"Nuclear disarmament is usually spoken about on such a high level and I believe that art has the power to humanize some of the most pressing issues that the world faces today," Anjali said at the UN News Centre.
"It also transcends barriers of age, language and literacy so I thought this was a great opportunity for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms."
“As an artist, I have tried to make meaning of the world around me visually. And pictures transcend barriers of age, language and literacy. The Poster for Peace was a chance for me to show that a brush can be mightier than arms. The goal of nuclear disarmament has been a tremendously difficult challenge, but this campaign tells us that peace is possible if we all work together towards it,” says Anjali, who works in the U.S.
“It took me three months, but I didn’t do it at a stretch. I played with several ideas and finally came up with these,” says the artist.
“Pratt influenced my artistic language. It was an incredibly rewarding experience to get an education that helped me with that design thinking process and I think it translates into my recent work too,” she adds.
While Congratulating the winners, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that, he commends them for the "talents you have displayed, and for using those talents to highlight such an essential cause."
"At a time of many global needs, it is important that young people are aware of the threat posed by nuclear weapons, and the vital importance of disarmament. Young people did not create nuclear weapons, but it may be their task to eliminate them once and for all. The energy and enthusiasm, talent and new ideas we see here today will help to meet that challenge," he said at the award ceremony.
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