‘Art changes people and people change the world’: the artists targeting UN’s general assembly

Posters by global artists have been placed around New York City to coincide with the annual meeting, hoping to drive home the importance of certain issues

This year, global artists have decided to shake up the scripted, polished performances of high politics at the UN general assembly. As delegates make their way toward UN headquarters in midtown Manhattan to debate goals for a sustainable future, they will be greeted by posters encouraging them to do things like commit crimes against reality, stop to ponder that we are all solar powered, consider African food emancipation and think about urban planning from the perspective of a child.

These posters are part of a carefully planned artistic intervention into what is widely considered one of the most pivotal meetings of the UN general assembly in years. The 79th general assembly, which opened on 10 September, will attempt to accelerate progress toward 17 major sustainability goals, covering such issues as climate change, women’s equality, ending global hunger and developing sustainable consumption models. Artists hope to have their own say into these goals and how they are achieved.