UnHerd
Florence Read meets cancelled street artist, Peter Seaton.
Read the accompanying article: https://unherd.com/thepost/street-artist-cancelled-for-a-pro-peace-mural/
Listen to the podcast: https://shows.acast.com/lockdowntv-with-freddie-sayers/cancelled-for-pro-peace-street-art
Earlier this month, a mural of two soldiers embracing, one Ukrainian and one Russian, appeared on the side of a building in Melbourne. It was the work of Peter Seaton, an Australian street artist known for large-scale graffiti. The title he gave the work was ‘Peace before Pieces’. He describes it as a ‘meditation on the dehumanisation of war’.
He joined UnHerd to answer the question: is pro-peace art the next victim of tribal thinking?
Peter’s Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ctoart/ @Ctoart
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// TIMECODES //
00:00 – 00:28 – Intro
00:28 – 01:30 – What was your response to the mural?
01:30 – 04:46 – What was the piece about?
04:46 – 06:01 – Covering over the work
06:01 – 08:32 – Has street art changed?
08:32 – 13:42 – Is Peter a war monger?
13:42 – 15:23 – What is his position as an artist?
15:23 – 22:11 – How do we minimise the chance of future wars?
22:11 – 22:49 – Outro
#UnHerd #Russia #UkraineWar
Sad he bent over. It will haunt him to his grave, trust me.
He’s right.
Should always aim for peace
In the context of this war, this piece serves the russian propaganda narrative of "brotherly nations, one slavic people".It would be more helpful to show through your art the dark sides of russian culture and what they are doing in Ukraine than naive pacifism.
I get his point but this whole peace and love message is a lot easier to convey when you're comfortably living in Australia.
Sure every invader wants peace but which peace will be for the invaded? It's like drawing a robber and robbed people hugging each other or a raped person hugging a raper. Victims will not see these drawings as a celebration of non-violence, won't they?
He's just a hippie, he didn't mean it the way many people think about it. Badly timed perhaps.
And who the hell do these Ukrainians think they are? Are they the first people to ever get invaded. Atleast it's okay to punish someone for bring a neo Nazi but how about innocent Syrians, Palestinians etc who never banned minorities from speaking Thier languages etc?
The hate and dehumanisation is on the Ukrainian ultranationalist side. Rightly or wrongly, Russians have regarded Ukrainians as brothers.
People in Yugoslavia all got along until the US pursued its policy of dismemberment of the USSR and its allies (or indeed any non-aligned states).
are florence and freddie related in any way? Florence looks like freddie in drag.
What an absolute shame, how embarrasing, to remove your own creation, for what? You talk and explain your motives, and then …cover it? Words words words..
BIG BROTHERISM.
Clearly not aligned with the narrative. We experienced the same thing with COVID. This is a proxy war between the USA and Russia. Is anyone awake? The timing of this conflict was impeccable. The MSM and western governments would have us believe that Russia is responsible for all of the ills that the West is experiencing. It isn’t.
Love his piece and his intention. The fact that the art had to be taken down is the evidence of the cultural problem we are dealing with.
It's OK to broadcast violent war-images every day at prime time, but God forbid a single sign of empathy between two of the pawns in that filthy game of power.
We in the West have chosen to refuse a diplomatic solution; war is the only option recognized by NATO and it's Imperial Order. More than half the world sees things differently though. Art is art and often conveys an idea such as "peace before pieces". The Artist was trying to exercise his Freedom of Speech, a Natural Right.
Why not paint an guy with a yellow star on his coat hugging a SS officer next?
This kind of gaslighting from people in authority is unacceptable. It is our human right to object to something we find morally abhorrent. This artists vision simply portrayed compassion in a time more of this is needed.
Great example of self absorbed idiot affected by russian propaganda. Thanks to UnHerd for exposing him.
I like UnHerd because they portray both sides of an argument and allow the viewer to think for themselves. No prechewed narratives. We need more news formatted in this way. I hope the algorithm doesn't restrict their exposure.
Get new friends…they don’t have your back. Any mural promoting peace, love and understanding is something we need more of ….don’t stop❤️🙏