Artist Anil Revri creates 'Wall for Peace'

The artist and his creation

A compelling art installation at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., urges visitors to consider messages of peace.

Created by Indian American artist Anil Revri, the "Wall for Peace" is a seven-foottall and six-foot-long block decorated by a ticker-tapelike stream of LED messages of peace taken from the holy books of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism. It was presented to the public Aug. 23. According to Art News, the artwork was procured by Dulles Airport in the wake of the shootings at the Sikh Temple in Wisconsin Aug. 5, which highlighted America's need for ethnic and religious tolerance. "Rays of light emanating from the unit are projected on to the viewers as they walk around the work," Revri said in a statement, "in a symbolic act of cleansing of religious and racial prejudices."

The Wall for Peace will remain on the airport's Concourse A/B until next March, after which Revri hopes to take it to sites that have seen violent episodes, including the Taj or Oberoi in Mumbai, where the 26/11 terror attacks unfolded. The Wall for Peace, he said, "can bring about interfaith dialogue by clearly stating to those who come from [the six] religions that it is their own religions that talk about peace."

"I have incorporated themes related to peace, desire, lust and greed, and renunciation from all six religions to visually illustrate how similar values have been interpreted by peoples of different faiths in the course of history," he said.

Revri's works are included in the art collections of Air India, Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

New Delhi native Revri holds a degree in interior design from the Sir J. J. School of Art, Mumbai, and a bachelor of fi ne arts degree in graphic design from the Corcoran College of Art + Design in Washington, D.C.

[ BY VRN ]