Focus on art: Icaro Doria
Here’s a superb graphic interpretation of country flags that really got me thinking. The text is a little difficult to read so click on each flag to open a larger version in a new window / tab.
It’s by Brazilian Icaro Doria, and the series is called “Meet the World”. It’s a few years old so you might’ve seen it already but definitely worth a feature in my opinion. I first saw the project on BrazilianArtists.net. The first flag (above) is Angolan, and the others are shown below.
The stats aren’t entirely accurate, but they’re certainly reflective of today’s injustices.
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15 appreciated comments on “Focus on art: Icaro Doria”
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That really is very clever.
Very thought-provoking as well.
Really well done. I want my kids to see this alongside their history lessons in school! Maybe they can add the info/images to their school papers and make the teachers’ heads spin…
Certainly provoked a few thoughts from me Chris.
I agree Daniel. It’s something that people should know about (the topics involved) from as early an age as possible.
Good luck with the server switch!
Very cool and great idea. I like the originality behind it and the sad truth that it presents.
Wow. That is a big eye opener.
This has to be a hoax. The Somali flag, for example, on genital mutilation suggests that the vast majority of the world’s 3 billion or so women undergo some form of genital mutilation. It would be understated to say that this is far fetched.
The 2005 UNICEF Report (”Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A statistical exploration”) estimates “130 Million women have undergone female genital mutilation or cutting…”
See: http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_29994.html.
Some of the other flags are also clearly misleading. The HIV-Malaria flag of Angola has to be wrong. What a shame because it is a very cool idea.
Thanks for the comment THD. I’d agree with you there, and here’s that link you posted as there was an extra dot at the end of yours:
http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_29994.html
It’s a shame that the flags aren’t entirely accurate, but they do bring to prominence some world issues that must be acted upon.
You know what – I made a mistake with the Somali flag. The *in country* stats may be correct. My apologies.
However, the stats on Angola seem to be off. The flag indicates that the number of malaria and HIV cases are equal.
1) Malaria in Angola – 1.2 Million
2) HIV in Angola – 250,000
Source for Malaria: http://www.usaid.gov/press/factsheets/2006/CP_Angola_6-06.pdf
Source for HIV:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/od/gap/countries/southern_africa.htm#1
David – I still agree with you, it certainly brings needed attention.
This is really touching! I’m not sure what to think right now.
THD – It’s not meant to be completely accurate, it’s art. It’s an interpretation. If it was meant to be accurate the numbers would be right alongside whatever the ‘statistic’ is for. But it’s not. It’s a cay of showing that there is A LOT more bad than good in most of these countries (in relation to these issues).
peace. love. happiness.
rach
What a striking interpretation. I’m impressed with the ingenuity it took to come up with this concept. The Brazilian flag is, I think, perhaps the most interesting, considering that the vast majority of people in the world survive on less than one dollar a day.
Rach, Adrienne,
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you enjoyed these pieces as much as I did.
Hi David,
I came across your site today (from another graphic design blog) and while browsing it was surprised to see that one of the most popular posts (is it still so?) was related to Brazil. I have to say I had never heard of this art project, and it is really interesting and sadly accurate.
Anyway, I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed reading about your work. Thanks for sharing your experience and ideas!
Luciana (from Brazil)
Hi Luciana,
That’s great you’ve enjoyed reading my blog. This post was very popular when it was first published. Not so much now, but the project is still one I love.
The Angola flag strongly reminds me of the Soviet Union one…