Artists’ posters of hostages held by Hamas, started as public reminder, become flashpoint themselves
Woman was arrested in Brooklyn last Saturday, accused of pepper spraying a Jewish man after he confronted her about tearing down posters.
Making the posters, they said, came out of a desire to feel connected, to do something.
Artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid would normally have been at home in Tel Aviv with family and friends, but were instead in New York City to take part in an art program when Hamas fighters massacred more than 1,400 people in Israel on Oct 7.
They channeled their anguish into creating posters bearing the names and faces of the more than 200 people taken hostage during the attack, each page blaring “KIDNAPPED” across the top. The goal was to invoke public pressure in hopes of bringing the abducted home. Fliers and posters based on their template have since appeared in cities around the world.