INKED BY IDEOLOGY

A Social Portrait Experiment by photographer Andro Engelbrecht

Artist Statement

This work began with a question: how do we respond when opposing beliefs are placed side by side, stripped of identity and presented without explanation?

Inked by Ideology is a social portrait experiment exploring freedom of speech, public discourse, and our personal and collective responses to conflict. Two blurred portraits were presented, each labelled with a contrasting political statement:

🇵🇸 “I support Palestinian sovereignty and freedom.”

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

These portraits were intentionally obscured. They are not images of a Palestinian or an Israeli, but anonymous figures who could be anyone, from anywhere, holding views echoed across the world. The aim was to move beyond assumptions and engage with the ideas themselves.

Participants were invited to write messages in response. These messages have now been layered onto the final portrait, which is revealed here for the first time. It is a self-portrait of the artist, no longer anonymous, bearing the visible weight of public response.

The portrait was lit using parallel lighting, the dual catchlights in the eyes, symbolising the two sides of the conflict.

This project was never about choosing sides. It was about creating space to listen, to question, and to respond. It’s about recognising human rights and dignity on all sides of conflict, and holding space for conversations that are often too fraught or too fragile to begin.

My hope is that the final, revealed self portrait layered with your words act as a mirror, not just for me as the artist, but for you the viewer. That it reflects not only what you might have in common with others, but also that you reflect on your own deeply held beliefs. By including the voices of many, the project is something more than a personal exploration, it’s been transformed into a community artwork, shaped by diverse perspectives.

In time of division art becomes not just expressive but essential. It is a way to confront complexity, humanise opposing perspectives and ask questions that have no easy answers. It challenges us to feel, to think and sometimes to sit in that discomfort long enough to understand something new.

This artwork is presented as part of the Artist for Rights Project 2025, under the theme Freedom of Speech, and supported by Amnesty International’s Vision Action Group.