Artist and political activist speaks with Mark Sealy about Visual Action - an organisation dedicated to incorporating visual culture in human rights campaigns and to work on visual education.

Visual Action is engaged with the production and circulation of images and performative actions to support human rights around the world. Based on the power of images, and their contemporary circulation, they create powerful visual campaigns confronting human rights violations around the world in the pursuit of truth and justice. The basis of the organisation is the collaboration, interaction and development of visual projects in partnership with Human Rights organisations, art networks, photography agencies and cooperatives, indigenous organisations, coordinating activists, photographers and artists to generate unique visual actions that will influence the development of social and political issues. 

Visual Action is currently working with The Human Rights Centre of the Montaña (CHRM) Tlachinollan in the state of Guerrero, southern Mexico and other Human Rights organisations in Latin America on an international visual action in solidarity with the victims of the kidnapping and murder of 43 rural students and teachers last September in Iguala, Estado de Guerrero, Mexico. 

The visual campaign is an open call to photographers and students to collaborate on group portraits as signs to express worldwide sympathy and support for the missing students. The production of the sign is made by the students as an educational experience in the production of images for a social and solidarity purpose. The final images are distributed through social networks and by the Mexican Human Rights Organisations, that represent the families of the victims.

Marcelo Brodsky is an active member of the human rights organization Asociación Buena Memoria, and he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Parque de la Memoria, a sculpture park and large monument with names and a gallery,  built in Buenos Aires to the memory of victims of state terrorism.

His work is part of major collections such as the Museum of Fine Arts Houston , the Tate Collection London, Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Argentina, Museo de Arte Moderno Buenos Aires, Center for Creative Photography Tucson Arizona, Sprengel Museum Hannover, Museo de la Memoria y los Derechos Humanos Santiago de Chile, MALI Lima, etc.

In 2008 he was awarded the Bnai Brith prize for Human Rights in Argentina. In 2014, he received the Jean Mayer Award from Tufts University Global Leadership Institute. In 2014 he initiated Visual Action.

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COMPETITION: Win 1x pair of tickets to attend Marcelo Brodsky in conversation with Mark Sealy at The Photographers' Gallery on Tuesday 17 March at 18:30. To enter the competition, send an email to bojana@run-riot.com with the correct answer in the ‘subject’ box. The winner will be randomly selected.

Q: Marcelo Brodsky trained in:

A: 1) Barcelona 2) Madrid 3) Paris