revolutionary art & Radical Love

By seher ali

This compilation of works communicates my values and visions around revolution & liberation. It is a combination of three ink and pencil illustrations on paper.

Tree

First, the tree made of arms. The hand is rooted, the arms overlapping and in community with one another, topped by one palm stretched out (to touch the air in a gesture of freedom, to offer itself to another, to hold the scales that balance life & death and the measurement of ethics that must be done while existing between those two states).

Fist and Scales

Second, the power fist made of the same tree, rooted and firm, balancing spirit and intuition with old knowledge and wisdom in order to determine what is just and ethical in the pursuit of freedom.

Soldier of Love

Lastly, an extremely personal piece titled "Soldier of Love" which embodies the radical love ethic (as written about by the cherished late bell hooks). The memories embedded in the piece are personal but ultimately communicate my commitment to the act of love as a revolutionary and radical practice to continue regardless of the suffering caused by the (white supremacist) culture’s pervasive and isolating lovelessness. The practice of radical love is within community, within mutual aid work, within liberation work, within cultivating relationships to self and others. The sheet music at the bottom is inspired by Sade's "Soldier of Love." She stands there "still wait(ing) for love to come, turn it all around".

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Seher Ali (she/her) is an artist, organizer and law student based out of Windsor, Ontario. The purpose behind all of her work is love, liberation, and community-building through various connective efforts (i.e. mutual aid work, organizing, writing & art). A detailed introduction to her ethics can be found on her SoundCloud. To see more of her work, visit her Instagram profile at @seherdraws.