Shimon Attie

 

 

 

Shimon Attie [b. 1957, Los Angeles, CA] is a visual artist whose projects engage local communities to find new ways of representing their history, memory, and potential futures. He is particularly concerned with how the histories of marginalized communities can be introduced into today's physical and social landscapes. Attie is the recipient of numerous awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship, The Rome Prize, Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute Fellowship, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Lee Krasner Achievement Award, and was inducted into the National Academy of Design in 2018.    

​

Night Watch was a floating media installation that featured a 20’ wide hi-res LED screen aboard a large, slow-moving barge that circled the waterways of New York City during the UN General Assembly Week in Fall 2018. Displayed on the screen were video portraits of twelve New Yorkers, individuals whose lives were saved by being granted political asylum in the United States. The people portrayed came from five continents, and are members of the LGBTQI community, or were unaccompanied minors. Both groups have fled tremendous violence and discrimination in their homelands.  Night Watch speaks to one of the most urgent issues of our time – the need to open our borders to asylum seekers and refugees.

​

Proceeds donated to Immigration Equality. For over 25 years, the organization has worked to secure safe haven, freedom to live openly, and equality for individuals and families in our community. Through direct legal services, policy advocacy, and impact litigation, we advocate for immigrants and families facing discrimination based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.

​

Immigration Equality

​

More information on Shimon Attie's work

​