prison-like illustrations of dictators' heads address lack of human rights

chinese artist jody xiong creates series of illustrations depicting dictators’ heads as prison cells to express concern over lack of human rights in authoritarian states around the world. the ‘prison of the heard’ aims to draw people’s attention to dissidents’ human rights by visualizing the injustice they suffer in such regimes.

heads of well-known authoritarian state leaders are turned into wire mesh illustrations that symbolize their invisible mind prisons. through the mesh, dark figures of prisoners being tortured for having different political beliefs are revealed, with which the artist aims to highlight that it is the ‘minds’ of dictatorships that deprive them of their freedoms and safety. the illustrations have been silk screen printed on 2 by 3 meter-sized canvases, and later made into short videos, exhibited on shanghai design biennial and other art exhibitions in china and abroad.

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edited by: sofia lekka angelopoulou | designboom