Welcome to Radical Events Ottawa! Learn more about the list here. See the full calendar here.
Please Note: Events listed on this calendar are not organized by the Punch Up Collective unless otherwise noted in the event details.
- This event has passed.
Opening event for “Art is a Weapon” Poster Exhibition
In 1930s Spain, artists, organizers, unions, and leftist political parties produced thousands of stunning posters promoting revolutionary social change and opposing fascism. In 1936, the Spanish Civil War began when fascists organized a coup to overthrow Spain’s democratically-elected leftist Popular Front government, composed of a coalition of socialists, anarchists, communists, workers’ organizations and social movements. From 1936-38, thousands of international volunteers, including at least 1500 Canadians, went to Spain to join the Popular Front in the fight against fascism. Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy enthusiastically supported the coup, and the fascists ultimately won, installing a dictatorship that would last until the late 1970s.
Art is a Weapon: Revolutionary and Antifascist Posters from Spain 1936-39 presents reproductions of more than 25 striking posters that teach us the history of revolutionary Spain and the Spanish Civil War. But these posters are more than just artefacts of the past. They illuminate a history that extends into the present moment and to struggles we continue to fight today, from opposing fascism, fighting for gender liberation, defending children’s genuine health and well-being, and defending the dignity and well-being of working people to fighting for environmental sustainability, for public education and art, and supporting international solidarity.
The exhibition also includes reproductions of artefacts from the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, the Canadian contingent of the International Brigades that fought against fascism in Spain.
Curated by Claire Nicolson-Hurtig (@encrenoire.illustration, Posters for Palestine 2024 exhibition, member of Education for Liberation Collective)
Posters are reproduced from the collections of the Fundacion Pablo Iglesias (Madrid, Spain), the Robert D. Farber University Archives and Special Collections of Brandeis University (USA), and the Centre de Recursos per Aprenentatge i la Investigació at the University of Barcelona (Spain).
7:00pm – Doors open
10:00pm – End of event
Masking: Please Note
Accessibility Information
- HEPA filter rated for volume of space
- HVAC System
- Stopgap ramp at entrance
- Wheelchair access throughout the space – floor is level. The main aisle through the restaurant is 3 feet wide but narrows to 2 feet 10 inches wide in one part.
- Washrooms are partially accessible and have handrails; doors are not wide enough for wheelchair entry.
We aim for this event to be a welcoming and community-oriented space! Feel free to come by at any point in the evening, bring a friend, and spend some time with the exhibition.