Ceasefire—Aaron Hankins at One Grand Gallery

One Grand Gallery presents an endurance and protest art installation by Portland-based maker Aaron Hankins. “Ceasefire” will open on April 5th, with an artist reception from 6-9p, and run through May 10th, 2024. For each day of the ongoing war and genocide in Gaza, Hankins has painted a watermelon, a self-appointed symbol of the Palestinian people, on the backs of empty USPS mailers. The seeds of the watermelon are painted in such a pattern as to denote numerical order and serve as a physical log of the days at unrest. Hankins displays these individual works as a cohesive unit stitched together in a 50 ft and growing banner. Seen in this stature, the overwhelming message for an immediate ceasefire cannot be overshadowed.

For the duration of this exhibition, the artist will be participating in active demonstrations at the gallery and continuing his daily painting until the war is over. He invites viewers to join in, watch, engage in conversation, and learn from each other. 

Aaron Hankins is a self taught, time based, endurance artist based in Portland Oregon.  “We Make Art Everyday” is the artist’s mantra to inspire people to view the world and our actions through a new perspective. Classically trained as an engineer, Aaron works using the philosophy of ISRU (in-situ-resource-utilization) which involves repurposing discarded materials (ready-made) to create something greater.