401 Richmond’s arts and culture hub in Toronto hosted a postering workshop in solidarity with Palestine on Nov. 17, 2023.
This event was a collaborative effort between Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Toronto and Trinity Square Video, uniting a diverse group of people motivated to contribute their artistic voices to an urgent cause.
I initially attended this event to browse the wide range of posters they had for sale, pick up some unique designs, and call it a day. Little did I know that this experience would lead to my recently discovered appreciation for activism and its importance.
Groups of participants started to form around a live demonstration on the art of wheatpasting taking place. At this point, my search for new wall decor grew into a lesson on the art form that transformed posters into statements.
Wheatpaste is an easy and cost-effective way to stick posters on any surface. It’s a simple mixture combining flour and water. The recommended ratio of flour to water is 1:4, meaning one cup of flour for every four cups of water.
One of the most intriguing advantages of wheatpasting is its potential to convert public areas into spaces for expression. Anyone can connect with a broader demographic by displaying posters in active areas.
In regards to Palestine, Palestinian stories can be questioned by the public and, most of the time, are censored by the general media. Wheatpasting provides an immediate way for people to convey their narratives and views while straying away from technology. This grassroots response is an action to restore their voices, oppose injustice, and unite in solidarity.
This form of advocacy becomes an act of resistance; going out and putting up posters creates a concrete representation of solidarity. This helps in facing oppressive stories and liberating public areas for neglected voices.
It’s also crucial to safeguard and honour a community’s heritage and cultural identity through artistic expression and visual narratives.
Aside from its external impact, wheatpasting generates an atmosphere of communal involvement through collaborative events, such as this postering workshop. By bringing communities together and defining a common place for participation, it stresses the idea that individuals who connect through creativity can create change.
Wheatpasting shifts art into a medium that speaks to change with three materials: your poster, flour, and water. These easily accessible items provide people, like the Palestinian community, who have been suppressed, with a chance to finally be heard.