The revolutionary wave of protest that began in the Arab world in early 2011 is still unfolding almost two years later in countries like Syria and Bahrain. Dictators have fallen in Tunisia, Yemen, Libya, and Egypt and the long, winding road toward democracy in these countries has begun.

In times of societal change, it is often artists who step forward to tell the story. Having spent the last several weeks in Egypt, Artistic Director Barrie Mowatt was deeply moved by many of the evocative images adorning the buildings and walls in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. The images below provide little more than a glimpse into Egypt’s Arab Spring as seen by the artists on the ground, but are enough to give you a sense of their impact. Several of these artists died in the protests, by sniper fire and/or police brutality. “The site of the protests, seeing burned out buildings, and viewing these wall paintings, sent shivers right through me,” Mowatt notes. “Very reminiscent of the North American civil rights marches of the 1960s.”

Click on the images to enlarge them.

It is in places like Tahrir Square where the Vancouver Biennale’s 2013-2015 theme “Open Borders/Crossroads Vancouver” becomes a venue for dialogue.