Nika Dubrovsky
I met John Phillips at an exhibition in London a few years ago. It was shortly after losing my partner David Graeber, with whom I’d devised the Museum of Care.
John’s work was completely in line with my dreams and expectations of what art should be: popular, grounded, transformative and involved in changing the world around us, all while maintaining the highest standards of aesthetic and philosophical rigor, using these tools to help people become more effective, beautiful and free. As David often said, freedom and care are inseparable.
Soon we began to collaborate on AptArt and other projects. AptArt, short for Apartment Art, develops exhibitions and puts them online for anyone to download* and exhibit in their apartment, community centre or shared space. John, Clive Russell (a brilliant designer and co-founder of the David Graeber Institute) and myself, have developed two shows so far. Apt Art1 Climate Emergency: Five Decades of UK Protest and Apt Art2 : Make Carnival Not War: a selection of posters by an ever-growing number of designers.
I am incredibly proud that AptArt has become part of a long London tradition of radical graphics and socially engaged art. Following the principle of Paddington Printshop, we exclude exclusivity making the exhibitions replicable, free and, most importantly, a genuine joy for all participants.
*Apt Art exhibitions are downloadable from Museum of Unrest, and the Museum of Care.
