Posters for Peace: Global touring exhibition hosted at AUS

The College of Architecture, Art and Design (CAAD) at American University of Sharjah (AUS) recently hosted Posters for Peace, an exhibition that brings together global perspectives on how peace is envisioned and expressed through design.

The project was founded in 2017 by Pouya Jahanshahi, Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Oklahoma State University. First shown in Tehran and Oklahoma under the title 20x20 Posters for Peace, it has since expanded to include works from over seven countries, including Mexico, China, Denmark and India. Today, the collection forms part of Design for Peace & Justice, a living archive of posters reflecting the diverse visual traditions and semiotics of their places of origin.

Timed with the International Day of Peace on September 21, the AUS exhibition presented peace as a multifaceted concept and highlighted how design can serve as a form of diplomacy, bridging histories, aesthetics and identities.

The opportunity to bring Posters for Peace to AUS grew out of a collaboration between CAAD faculty and Jahanshahi that began at the Motion Design Education Conference in Philadelphia two years ago. Building on shared interests in cross-cultural motion design pedagogy, CAAD Associate Professor Zlatan Filipović and Jahanshahi have since partnered on a series of student projects, showcased internationally at the MODE Conference in Prague earlier this year. As a result of that collaboration, Jahanshahi proposed AUS as a venue for the traveling Posters for Peace exhibition.

“Peace is a word we all know, but it carries a different resonance in every culture, every language and every image. Each poster in this exhibition is both a witness and an invitation—reminding us that peace is not passive, but a courageous dialogue we must choose to enter. At a time when conflict and division dominate headlines, these works serve as bridges across cultures, carrying messages where words alone may falter. To stand before them is to witness both difference and commonality, and to see how creativity can translate hope into form,” said Filipović.

The exhibition at AUS features 30 printed posters and 90 digital works displayed on large-format screens and was coordinated by Filipović in collaboration with Jahanshahi, and organized under the Department of Art and Design’s Lectures, Exhibitions and Events (LEE) Committee, which also includes Professor Dr. Zinka Bejtic and Assistant Professors Ali Matay and Mohamed Mamdouh.

Jahanshahi joined the exhibition opening virtually, connecting with AUS students, faculty and CAAD Dean Joe Colistra to discuss the works and future opportunities for collaboration. Looking ahead, AUS faculty hope to build on this momentum by inviting UAE designers and artists to contribute to a new edition of Posters for Peace aligned with the UN International Day of Peace in September 2026.

Exhibition Details

The exhibition opened on September 24 in the CAAD Gallery (AD2 123) and will run until September 27, before moving to the AD1 building rotunda from September 28 to October 4.

The organizing team would like to extend their thank yous to Professor Riem Ibrahim, who provided Arabic translation, Salma Ibrahim for media coverage and PR, and Rakesh Ramu for IT and printing support, as well as the exhibition setup team, consisting of Hana Safeer, James Torio, Aabid K and Layan Hammoudeh and Irshad Suleiman.

For more information about the traveling poster exhibition, please visit: https://designforpeaceandjustice.com/

For more information about CAAD’s art and design courses, visit: www.aus.edu/caad/department-of-art-and-design