Concerned artists exhibit to help ‘terror raid’ defendants”

Concerned artists exhibit work to help ‘terror raid’ defendants”

More than 50 artists from around New Zealand will be exhibiting their work in Wellington at the start of next month to raise funds and public awareness for the arrestees of the 2007 October 15 "terror raids." Exhibited works range from paintings, sculptures, and animation, to a reproduction of the assassination device police claim 'terror raid' arrestees planned to use - a catapult designed to launch a bus onto the head of former US president George Bush.

According to contributing artist and spokesperson Lance Ravenswood, the charges against the 18 arrestees of the October 15 raids are "just silly. Any sensible person should feel that the police and courts need a good telling-off about the way they’ve been behaving.” A number of prominent figures have also spoken out against the handling of the case, including civil rights lawyer Moana Jackson and Professor Jane Kelsey.

“Why have these people been denied a trial by jury? Why is there so much secrecy surrounding the legal proceedings? The police seem to be equating legitimate political and environmental activism with terrorism," says Ravenswood.

Richard Meros, author of *On the Conditions and Possibilities of Helen Clark Taking Me as Her Young Lover*, will be exhibiting a piece in a similar tone, entitled *Your Honour We Eat These Charges For Breakfast*, featuring berry-soaked strips of the 2002 Terrorism Suppression Act (TSA).

“This muesli celebrates the afternoon the Solicitor General’s office struck down the use of the TSA against those arrested on October 15, 2007, reminding bowels and brains that the charges of terrorism were not even strong enough to be presented to a court” says Meros.

The exhibition will open at the Garrett Street exhibition space on Friday June 3rd at 4:30pm, followed by a screening of Errol Wright and Abi King-Jones’ documentary about the October 15th raids, “Operation 8: Deep in the Forest”. Viewing will continue over the weekend.

“We’re concerned about whether justice is being done here. Lots of people in the community have questions about this case - we want them to get together, experience some great art, and talk about what’s going on,” says Lance Ravenswood. “As artists, we want to do what we can to help 18 New Zealanders who are being punished, before the trial even takes place, by an immense financial burden in a drawn-out battle against extremely questionable charges. That’s why we’re donating our work, to raise funds to support the defendants and their families through the trial.”

The Concerned Citizens exhibition will feature work from up and coming as well as more established artists, including Peter Madden, Roger Morris, Bryce Galloway, Arlo Edwards, Kerry Ann Lee, and Tao Wells, creator of the controversial *Beneficiary’s Office* installation in 2010.

For more information about the exhibition, please visit www.concernedcitizens.co.nz

*Contributing artists:*

Tao Wells
Dick Whyte
Bryce Galloway
Robyn Kenealy
Roger Morris
Peter Madden
Kerry Ann Lee
Richard Meros
Campbell Kneale
Stephen Templer
Ellen Rodda
Jeff Henderson
Ryan Bennett
Hannah Salmon
Arlo Edwards
T.R.A.P.
Sam Ovens
Kim Gruschow
Richard Dennis Bartlett
David Alphabethead
Zachary Jordan Penney
Blake Dunlop
Carlos Patino
Jacob Carlson Sparrow
The Screamer
Tui Effie Harrington
Brendan Olphert
Fredd Marshall
Lance Ravenswood
Benjamin Michael Knight
James Quick
Hywel Thomas
Danny Dowling-Mitchell
Regan P Bailey
Rhydian Thomas
Ana McGowan
Georgie Brown
Rhiannon Beckett
Gene Van Der Zanden
Kelly Spencer
Ash Jones
Andy Macready
Tali Williams
Jon Coddington
Esther Lewis
Adam McCalley
Alex Meagher
Chloe Rose Purcell
Dominic Studer
Aidan Griffin
Louis Klein
Hayden Currie
Alex Mitcalfe-Wilson
Zaou Vaughan
Sebi Ruters

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