Coexistence is a 44-piece exhibition of giant, thought-provoking posters featuring compelling images by international artists and is curated by Israeli Raphie Etgar founder of The Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem a unique art environment committed to a politicised curatorial programme that promotes dialogue and understanding. The free-entry outdoor exhibition in Britomart opens on February 11 . Etgar, initiated the exhibition in 2000 "motivated by the growing need to make it possible for more and more people to acknowledge the right of others to exist and to think differently".

Image: Racism Poster by Lex Drawinski, Germany
Coexistence is a 44-piece exhibition of giant, thought-provoking posters featuring compelling images by international artists and is curated by Israeli Raphie Etgar founder of The Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem a unique art environment committed to a politicised curatorial programme that promotes dialogue and understanding. The free-entry outdoor exhibition in Britomart opens on February 11 . Etgar, initiated the exhibition in 2000 "motivated by the growing need to make it possible for more and more people to acknowledge the right of others to exist and to think differently".

Image: Racism Poster by Lex Drawinski, Germany
"Coexistence is more than a concept and more than a popular idea for our new global culture," Etgar says. "It involves changing our lives and changing the way we think. Coexistence is not necessarily learning to live together but perhaps learning to live side by side."

A former leading poster artist in Israel and in-house artist for one of Germany's most prestigious publishing houses, Etgar is deeply committed to promoting greater peace and justice in the world.

"What is happening today all over the world is a cycle that cannot be broken without brave and inspired leaders who must solve the problems with generosity, mutual understanding and non-violent thinking."

You can also join Raphie on Thursday 16 February, 7pm, in Auckland Museums APEC Room as he discusses his work and motivations.

About Coexistence in Auckland: COEXISTENCE comprises three meter by five meter posters accompanied by text-panel quotes from leading thinkers, writers, philosophers and artists and designed to promote dialogue leading to understanding and peaceful co-existence within communities.

The exhibition is being brought to Auckland by Heart of the City, business and lobby group for the CBD. The international exhibition has been shown in 22 of the globe's leading cities including Jerusalem, Belfast, Sarajevo, Berlin, Zurich, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Prague, St. Petersburg, Vienna and Washington DC.

COEXISTENCE is being held outdoors in the Britomart Heritage Precinct from February 11 to March 5, 2006. Some notable people associated with COEXISTENCE through their quotes are Nelson Mandela, Jean-Paul Sartre, the Dalai Lama, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Albert Einstein and John Lennon. New Zealand works are part of the exhibition.

And for Auckland's visit, renowned Kiwi musician Dave Dobbyn will front a team of other well-known Kiwi ambassadors, including Pansy Wong, Madeleine Sami and Peter Urlich.

About The Museum on the Seam: The Museum on the Seam in Jerusalem is a unique museum in Israel, displaying contemporary art that deals with different aspects of the socio-political reality. Through the works of artists from Israel and abroad, who respond to the stress and tension between and within groups, the museum invites the visitors to examine the degree of influence of the social environment on the individual and vice versa. Between the local and the universal, between pluralism and extreme ideologies, the message of The Museum calls for listening and discussion, for accepting the other and those different from us and respect for our fellow man and his liberty.

www.coexistence.art.museum

Through a local competition New Zealand artists have an opportunity to contribute to the exhibition.