On receiving news of her winning, Anne Mwiti explained the meaning of the artwork in relation to peace: "The color white represents peace and there are layers of fabric and colors that are people who have given their lives to build a strong foundation for peace, at the individual and national levels. The layer of white paint is finger painted, and represents the hard work that must be done by men and women with their hands as a labour of love. The color black represents war, conflict, death, and the filth that war breeds. The finishing is created using a finger painting technique, and represents the labour of evil men that work day and night to destroy any peace that has been built over time. There are dirty old pieces of fabric representative of wound wrap gauze, dry fallen leaves and twigs that represent a dead environment, and rot for the lack of peace, destroyed over time. Black and white set against each other creates a tension and balance that must exist for survival. Red represents blood, life and sacrifice. Without sacrifice, peace cannot be achieved. Green represents conflict, greed, money and politics, and is set against the black, which symbolizes war. Politics has been the cause of war, and that there is no peace in the world today is the result of greed and money. The red and green are next to each other to create the necessary tension that life continually presents. The thread that is the focus of the painting is what binds all these elements together and it is a stitch in time by each one of us. Based on the old tradition of darning and sewing that was traditionally done by women to bind together torn clothes for their families that were threadbare, it seems appropriate for our torn societies. We must bind them together again with love, patience and committed effort. The thread hangs loosely and the darning needle is still in place for the next person to pick up and continue this peace process: peace is not an event, it is a process.."
Anne Mwiti is an established artist living in Kenya, Africa, where she has exhibited her art in various local galleries and been involved in international exhibitions. She is also an art lecturer at Kenyatta University, Kenya, in the department of Fine Art and Design, where she teaches art at various levels in the Art department. Anne's art interrogates different levels of art genre and social issues, using the image of the woman as a subject for self expression. Her approach and style is more abstract expressionism though she is a very dynamic artist and continues evolving. Her art includes collages, watercolors, mixed media, sculptures, miniature art, and paintings using oil and acrylic. Her works have been on display in various galleries in Kenya. Internationally, Anne's art has featured in group exhibitions in Congo DRC and Brazil, and she is currently preparing for an exhibition in the Carrédé Artistés gallery in Paris, France.
World Citizen Artists established the competition together with Belgravia Gallery, named Gallery of the Year 2013 and One of Europe's leading art galleries, it regularly features the work of renowned artists and celebrities; and issuu, one of the world's leading digital publishing platforms, which gives publishers tools to deliver over 5 billion page views each month to more than 80 million readers; Playing For Change Foundation, a worldwide music foundation, operated in association with world-class musicians and producers, which assists children to learn music; and ISSUU, one of the world's leading digital publishing platforms, which gives publishers tools to deliver over 5 billion page views each month to more than 80 million readers.
About World Citizen Artists:
World Citizen Artists is a non-profit organisation based in Paris which invites contributions from artists around the world to celebrate international issues and commemorate global events.
