Understanding Conflict Through Art: Artraker

Integrity is proud to announce that it is one of the founding partners of The Artraker Fund. Alongside INCAS Consulting and International Alert, the founders have successfully brought to fruition the brainchild of political artist Manali Jagtap-Nyheim.

Artraker, being the first of its kind, has the intention of becoming the home for powerful conflict art and artists.

“Having worked in conflict areas such as the Niger Delta, I’m a firm believer that art has a unique ability to provide unexpected insight and understanding, while breaking new ground in how we build peace.” – Manali Jagtap-Nyheim

Assadullah Baran Bromand, Lie of Freedom, Installation, Qambar Hill, Omid-e- Sabz township, Kabul, Afghanistan 2011- 2013. Artraker.

The Artraker Fund’s aim is to elevate both the prominence of artists working on conflict art and the value of their art to understanding conflict. In doing so, they hope to inspire and shape how people and organisations engage and respond to conflicts.

The concept ‘Artraker’ draws inspiration from the term “Muckraker”, a term coined by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 in reference to the adversarial journalistic movement that investigated and published truthful reports on social issues.

The world’s first Conflict Art award is to be given on 21 September 2013 (International Peace Day) and hosted by Martin Bell, OBE. The Artraker prize awards impactful artwork from some of the most dangerous conflict areas around the world.

The competition attracted 300 submissions from 90 countries, covering many geopolitical hotspots. Themes tackled by the 18 shortlisted artists include a day in the life of a Syrian ‘freedom fighter’, the uncensored casualty chain of UK soldiers in Afghanistan, the fate of 200,000 ‘comfort women’ during the Second World War, and drawings from the memories of a Ugandan child soldier.

“Understanding the causes of violent conflict and lessening its impact on people’s lives is one of the major challenges of our time. It sits at the core of Integrity’s mission. So when Artraker asked us to become a founding partner there was no debate. We remain in awe of those who turn their experiences of violence and war into moving expressions of art. Their work has such power to change the way we think about conflict and help those who have suffered from it. We are proud to help in any small way with their recognition and support.” – Anthony Ellis, Founding Director and CEO, Integrity