INKED BY IDEOLOGY

A Social Portrait Experiment by Andro Engelbrecht

Project Statement

Inked by Ideology is a social portrait experiment that invites public response to opposing political statements.
Two blurred portraits are presented—each with a contrasting message—encouraging viewers to engage not with identity, but with ideas.

You're invited to write a message addressed to one of the portraits. The portraits are deliberately obscured to strip away identity, encouraging you to engage not with who you see, but what is being said. These responses will later be layered onto a final revealed image, forming part of the completed artwork.

This project is not asking you to choose a side. It is asking you to engage with the complexity of belief, to consider human rights on all sides of conflict, and to reflect on how you respond when opposing views are placed side by side.

Inked by Ideology has been selected as part of the Artist for Rights Project 2025, under the theme of Freedom of Speech, and is presented in partnership with the Amnesty International Vision Action Group. The physical portraits are currently displayed at Robina Community Art Gallery.

It continues Andro Engelbrecht’s wider body of work—using portraiture as a way to reflect the emotional, social, and spiritual realities of our time.

Black permanent marker used as part of the interactive Ink & Ideology social art project by photographer Andro Engelbrecht, where participants write messages responding to pro-Israel and pro-Palestine portraits.

“I support Palestinian sovereignty and freedom.”

“I support Israel’s right to safety and existence.”

If you’d like to take part in Inked by Ideology, you’re warmly invited to add your own voice.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

  1. Pause & Reflect
    Look at each portrait. Read the statements carefully:

    • “I support Palestinian sovereignty and freedom.”

    • “I support Israel’s right to safety and existence.”

  2. Choose One
    Decide which portrait you would like to respond to. You may respond to one or both. Use separate sheets is responding to both.

  3. Speak to the Subject
    Write your message as if you are speaking directly to the person in the portrait.
    You may write in support, disagreement, curiosity, or reflection—whatever feels honest to you.
    Please remain respectful. This is a space for thought, not hostility.

  4. Use an A4 Sheet of Paper
    Write your message by hand using the marker provided. Keep your message within one sheet.

  5. Submit Your Message
    Once complete, scan or take a photo of your message and and email it to me using the ‘File Upload’ field below. All messages will remain anonymous.