This print emerges from the fervent atmosphere of the Paris May 1968 demonstrations, a period marked by widespread civil unrest, radical demands for social change, and a profound reevaluation of culture, politics, and labour. Produced by Atelier Populaire, an activist collective born out of the occupied École des Beaux-Arts, the image embodies the spontaneous creativity and defiance of the movement. Its bold visual language reflects both the urgency and the clarity of its political message, repudiating the influence and toxicity of institutional mechanisms such as the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP). Atelier Populaire explicitly created prints like this to be anonymous, democratic tools of protest, plastering them across the streets of Paris as rallying cries for resistance.
Atelier Populaire’s works were more than simple artefacts; they were instruments of collective expression, designed to challenge the establishment and ignite critical thought. This image draws on the revolutionary context of 1968 while rejecting passivity, calling for active engagement against manipulation by societal and institutional powers. The workshops that created these images were not only centres of production but also of discussion, strategy, and reflection—a microcosm of the broader ethos of participatory democracy espoused by the movement. This piece—a stark synthesis of text and image in bold hues—epitomises their desire to break free from complacency and challenge normative structures with unyielding directness.
