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Meet J.Slim. They’re an artist out of Phoenix, Arizona.
This mural is a collaboration with Palabras Bilingual Bookstore @palabras_bookstore near downtown Phoenix. It’s Arizona’s only bilingual bookstore and is an amazing community space.
The painting is a depiction of Octavia E. Butler, a writer who utilized science fiction to describe social injustices as well as the beauty and flaws of human existence.
“From one, Many. From many, One. Forever Uniting, Growing, Dissolving. Forever Changing” is specifically a quote from Parable Of The Sower written by Octavia Butler. It describes how Change is an inevitable constant that waits for no one. It’s a truth that we can all vouch for, experiencing the current times that we are in. This mural expresses the beauty and possibility of our present and future. At a personal level, we are all inherently flawed by being raised within the confines of a society that is still being defined by its colonial past. But we can work with this God that Butler call change to heal, grow and create. Art is a resistance as an expression of that change.
@Palabras_bookstore promotes cultural representation and diversity through literature, language and the arts. It provides the Phoenix community with books in Spanish and English, with an emphasis on diverse cultural representation of authors and social awareness. It’s a safe and encouraging environment for inter-cultural community exchange, providing the community with opportunities to share literary, visual and musical art through workshops and events.
But during this pandemic most of Palabras’ events have been virtual. The bookstore is still open for business but has been limiting the amount of customers per visit. Amongst several other locations, the bookstore has been a drop location for Mutual Aid within the valley. Visit them in-person or online! https://www.palabrasbookstore.com/
The “How Art Changes the World” Series: Greenpeace reached out to frontline artists in our community to create works of art that represent the power of solidarity, community resistance, and community organizing in moments of crisis. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began – and even more so since the Movement for Black Lives has so strongly embedded itself into the consciousness in the U.S. – resistance is taking on new forms and people are acting in solidarity in new ways and with new allies. However, the need to come together, lift up the voices of those affected the most, and organize against our exploitative and extractive systems, is nothing new.
With this in mind, we invited proposals for public art pieces at any scale that highlight the various forms of resistance in the public space happening in this moment. The goal… to show everyone invested in the fight for social and environmental justice that they’re not alone in demanding a good life and health for all.
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