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Article 5 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (English version)

Otávio Roth1978

Instituto Vladimir Herzog

Instituto Vladimir Herzog
São Paulo, Brazil

This piece is part of a collection of 30 xylographs, produced by the multimedia artist Otávio Roth (1952-1993), that graphically express the content of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). The series took two years to reach completion, with each piece printed on handmade paper created by the artist himself. Driven by the desire to democratize access to the Charter, Otávio Roth synthesized its message in graphic pieces that facilitate the understanding and memorization of the Charter’s content.

Roth was the first living artist invited to exhibit at the United Nations. His prints have been on permanent display at UN headquarters in New York, Geneva and Vienna since 1981. In addition to the English series, the artist produced other series in Japanese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian and Danish, using techniques as diverse as crayon, watercolor and pulp painting.

About Article 5
The Declaration contains an absolute prohibition that is universally accepted as unequivocal: the prohibition of torture in Article 5 is further elaborated in the UN Convention Against Torture (1984), which makes clear the absolute character of the prohibition: “no exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as justification of torture”.

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  • Title: Article 5 - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (English version)
  • Creator: Otávio Roth
  • Creator Lifespan: 1952/1993
  • Creator Nationality: Brazilian
  • Creator Gender: Male
  • Creator Death Place: São Paulo, Brazil
  • Creator Birth Place: São Paulo, Brazil
  • Date Created: 1978
  • Physical Location: Otávio Roth Collection (São Paulo, Brazil)
  • Location Created: Oslo, Norway
  • Physical Dimensions: 71 x 51 cm
  • Original Language: English
  • Provenance: Artist's private collection
  • Subject Keywords: Human Rights; Universal Declaration of Human Rights; UN; United Nations
  • Transcript:
    Article 5 No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
    Hide TranscriptShow Transcript
  • Rights: (c)Otávio Roth
  • Art Genre: Graphic art
  • Art Form: Woodcut
  • Support: Handmade paper
  • Depicted Topic: Article of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
  • Biography: Visual artist Otávio Roth (1952-1993) was a pioneer in the research and production of handmade paper in Brazil and a precursor in the development of participatory art installations in several countries. He began his career as a photographer and graphic artist, having gained international recognition with the creation of the first artistic series of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Oslo, 1978).
Instituto Vladimir Herzog

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