SOME of the most powerful and poignant pieces of art of the past 50 years will take pride of place at this year's Freedom Festival.
An exhibition of Amnesty International's best posters – featuring renowned artists including Picasso, Miro and Genoves – will be part of this year's Freedom Festival programme, aiming to highlight past and current human rights issues.
The AI@50 exhibition marks 50 years of Amnesty International, showcasing the campaigning power and iconic artwork of its famous posters.
It has previously appeared at venues across the world and is being brought to Freedom Festival via Freedom's links with Hull Amnesty Group, which works as an advisory partner to the festival.
Graham Chesters, chairman of the Freedom Festival board, said: "Hull Amnesty Group is a hugely valuable advisory partner of the festival, bringing some fantastic creative ideas to the table – this moving, thought-provoking exhibition being one of them.
"The origins of Freedom Festival lie in commemorating Hull's uniqueness and its proud contribution to the cause of freedom, sharing the ideals promoted so tirelessly by Amnesty International UK.
"We aim to bring impactful work to the festival that emphasises Hull's links to freedom and inspires thinking about the challenges to human rights that still exist in the present day."
The exhibition will be staged at the 1 Gallery in Humber Quays during the festival and throughout September.
Cecile Oxaal, chair of Hull Amnesty Group, said: "AI@50 is a powerful collection of posters assembled in 2011 to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Amnesty International UK.
"We are pleased to be working with Freedom Festival to display the collection at this year's event.
"The posters were designed between 1966 and 2010 by artists from around the world in support of Amnesty's campaigns to expose violations of human rights and to secure justice, peace and freedom.
"The collection highlights some of Amnesty's achievements and reveals campaigns that are still necessary today.
"We welcome everyone to the exhibition to learn about the universal struggles for human rights and to honour the work of Amnesty International UK."
The exhibition is one of many thought-provoking events, including debates, theatre and spoken word, that organisers say will run throughout the festival.
This year, the festival will pay tribute to the life of the late Nelson Mandela and his contribution to the cause of freedom, with the opening night featuring the unveiling of The Long Walk to Freedom, a collection of specially commissioned artworks using light, sound and colour.
Audiences will experience "a magical light trail" blazing a route through Hull's Old Town during the ceremony.
AI@50 will be held at the 1 Gallery at Humber Quays, Wellington Street, Hull, throughout Freedom Festival, which runs from Friday, September 5, to Sunday, September 7, from noon to 9pm. The exhibition will then continue until the end of September. Free entry. For full festival programme details, visit freedomfestival.co.uk
