The biggest and arguably the most important outdoor piece of Nuart festival 2017 was the 4 story mural painted by Ricky Lee Gordon. For this large scale diptych the festival joined forces with Amnesty International, helping them spread the word about their Brave campaign.
Through this campaign Amnesty is helping people that are taking enormous risks to stand up for our rights. As stated at the press conference held after the completion of the mural, it is important for these people to reach the wider audience with their work, and street art is an excellent platform for that due to its media coverage and connectivity. Known for their ongoing efforts to use the public space as a communication channel, Nuart provided their logistics to make this possible, while Ricky Lee Gordon used his talent and skills to paint this large tribute to Finish transgender activist, Sakris Kupila. In hope to help Kupila get wider exposure and help his fight for transgender rights in Finland, South African artist created his portrait along with the text that supports the right of each individual to express their true self. In his signature style he composed a poetic image that captures the moment that balances between tension and harmony.
Photo credit: @SashaBogojev & Andrea Rocha
