For each stencil a revolution

Latifa Echakhch’s installation derives its title from a quote from Yasser Arafat, the first president of the Palestinian National Authority, in reference to the protests of May 1968 and the protests against the Vietnam war. The bleu carbon paper was often used during those years to produce posters and pamphlets with revolutionary messages. The paper is treated, causing the ink to run down. The work pays homage to social uprisings in the recent past, yet at the same time it rings with melancholy: stripped of its ink, the paper, hence the protesters are robbed of their potential to carry any message. Referring to both abstract expressionism and the signature blue of the artists Yves Klein, the work also reconsiders the relationship between art and politics.