“From the waste of war and militarism we create art, word and performance to celebrate the Inevitability of Peace.” –Namaya Art Rat for Peace. Namaya is a public philosopher, poet, and artist who engages people and their communities on issues of peace, social justice/ human rights and ecology.
“Pornography of War” is a multiyear project of art, poetry and writing, plays and performances exploring the impact of war on society. Namaya and B4 Peace have presented human rights projects around the world including: Villa Grimaldi Peace Center in Santiago, Chile and for the US Fellowship of Reconciliation 100th anniversary in NY. In 2020 Namaya and the B4 Peace team undertook an art residency entitled “Journey of Forgiveness” at New Space Art Center in Hue, Vietnam “
“Namaya’s art subject goes straight to the danger zone and it is what is needed in our moment. In going to our collective underworld, it honors our humanity and foibles. The direct imagery, actual charged objects and his availability to participate in dialog about war and peace creates a safe place to bring matters out from the darkness, which is exciting and refreshing.” -Alison Beth Levy, Independent Art Curator # 2
Inevitability of Peace: A 12 foot steel sculpture with a 200 pound block of ice with a peace wreath inside touches the hearts of children and adults leading to conversations on “How do we create peace?.” There is a candle underneath, and from the ambient temperature, and candle the block melts freeing the peace wreath. It symbolizes that each action we take of kindness, charity and compassion creates peace. This has been presented at Pete Seeger’s Clearwater Festival, NY, New Orleans Art Center, and World Learning in VT.
Villa Grimaldi Peace Center: Santiago, Chile In 2014 Namaya worked with the Villa Grimaldi Peace Center, local artists, dancers and musicians to create an art installation, dance performance and healing ceremony entitled “Memoria. Hablar. Dignidad.” which included the Witness Tower and the 100 Flowers of Peace poems.
POW includes graphic art series Pentagon Man featured below.
Pornography of War
The Pornography of War is a multiyear project in art, poetry and performance. The POW project asks, “What is more pornographic? Two soldiers trying to kill each other or two soldiers making love. POW also includes 2 video presentations “War is a Racket: Major General Smedley Butler” – a solo show and the current video performance and presentation called “Pornography of War in An Age of Desire.”
POW includes graphic art series Pentagon Man featured below.
Imperial War Museum in London at the Peace Garden 2016
Cross of Iron
CROSS OF IRON This sculpture was inspired by the Cross of Iron speech made by President Eisenhower in 1953. The sculpture development was funded by Quakers for Peace. “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.”
GRAPHICS & Multimedia
Pentagon Man and Trillion $ Penis Portraits
The US Military Budget in 2024 is estimated to be between $1.5 and $2trillion annually www.pogo.org