Paper Bullets

@pprbllts.bsky.social

3471 Followers 6439 Following

A collective for creative resistance 🖌️🎨 📷📎 Our account name is inspired by queer French Surrealists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, who conducted a psyops campaign on Nazi occupiers during WWII using avant-garde art. #artsky #booksky #resistance

Collage titled "Young Students" by Black American artist Romare Bearden. The collage superimposes images of Black faces, in black-and-white or sepia tones, over a colorful street backdrop composed of a red brick wall, yellow sidewalk, and gray street. Little details that can be seen in the collage include a black cat peeking from behind a woman's skirt, a fire hydrant on which a male figure composed of several different images appears to lean, and a pop-art style poster on the right side of the frame depicting an open book, in which the words "HOLY BI" appear.
Brilliant blue lake under a clouded sky with two swans floating on the waves
A penciled comic drawing of a German sailor standing in the prow of a sinking boat called "Das Reich," frantically waving his arms as the boat and the Nazi flag sink into the waves where monsters eye him hungrily.
A stencil graffiti on a grimy white wall shows a woman in a headscarf with three birds flying in silhouette to the viewer's left. Her gaze is directed toward the viewer's right, where the words ART IS RESISTANCE appear in block letters. The word ART is in red. The rest of the stencil is in black.
A cluster of eggs hand painted in bright colors, with delicate contrasting decorations.
Senator Markwayne Mullin hiding behind a chair on January 6, his eyes wide with fear.
A colorful woven tapestry featuring multicolored working class figures raising their hands. In the center of the tapestry is text that reads “THESE HANDS / THESE BACKS / THESE KNEES”
Image of the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument in Washington, DC. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shown in profile, sunlight on his face and folded arms, with the massive uncarved stone of the monument behind him fading into shadow. Due to the angle, the Washington Monument appears to be in front of him, but the tip of the obelisk seems to reach barely as high as his chin.
Sunrise photo of a desert road leading through an open gate that says “road closed” toward distant mountains. The sky is deep rose in color, the mountains appear dark purple, and the road appears pink in the morning light.
A quote: "If there is horror, it is for those who speak indifferently of the next war. If there is hate, it is for hateful qualities, not nations. If there is love, it is because this alone kept me alive." - Claude Cahun
A photocollage created by artists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore. Claude Cahun is depicted in pieces, in various personas -- head, torso, hands, arms and legs. On the top right is an image of her face with cropped hair and severe makeup, with a gun to the left of her head. Beneath the gun is an image of a bird, descending to that of a snake. An image of Claude's naked crossed limbs appears to the right of the snake, and to the right of that, a torso with one breast missing as if broken off a sculpture, and the bottom of the torso transforms into an ibis. Further right, a triple-exposed image of Claude in a suit and bowtie. Below, an image of her upside-down head with long hair splayed out like a medusa. At the bottom of the image is what appears to be a gasping person -- possibly Claude -- in a suit with no skin on their face. In the bottom right corner is another bird's head, its eyes white as if it were blind. All the images are layered over larger depictions of what appear to be lungs behind a ribcage.
Picture of a blank canvas on a wooden easel.
Black and white realistic illustration of French women marching through the streets bearing flags of the French Revolution
Text of Langston Hughes Poem: I look at the world From awakening eyes in a black face And this is what I see: This fenced-off narrow space Assigned to me. I look then at the silly walls Through dark eyes in a dark face— And this is what I know: That all these walls oppression builds Will have to go! I look at my own body With eyes no longer blind And I see that my own hands can make The world that’s in my mind. Then let us hurry, comrades, The road to find.
Lithograph of a massive blue wave crashing toward the viewer in a cloud of white foam
A photo depicts two a series of neat white cabins with pastel roofs on a gray pebble beach, against a background of a cloudy sky. In front of two of the cabins, two white-haired women in brightly colored robes are seated on plastic chair with their feet up, reading.
An image of Solomon’s oil painting “Not Guilty.” Description from the Getty website: A young man is reunited with his relieved family outside the courtroom after being acquitted. The mother of the accused holds up one of his children to greet him and his wife embraces him, while his father thanks the lawyer on the right. In the background, an arched doorway leads outside—a sign of freedom for the innocent man.
Painting of a Black protestor with one fist raised, wearing a white tank top and sneakers, dark pants, and a giant Elmo head. In the background is a dark rectangular shape overwhelmed by a golden, fiery glow, suggesting a burning vehicle or perhaps a dumpster.
A black spray painted graffiti image of a woman in a shawl with black birds to her left. To her right, the word ART in red, with IS RESISTANCE below in black.
Edvard Munch's famous work "The Scream" depicts a genderless figure on a pier, with a blue-white face distorted in a gaping expression of horror. The figure's hands are on either side of the face, perhaps clutching the head or covering the ears. Swirls of blue and red tones in the background depict water and the blood-red sunset of Munch's description. There are two other figures walking on the pier in the distance, but their features are indistinguishable.
Modernist painting in bright, bold colors and active lines of a crowded library. Brown- and black-skinned figures hunch over books, magazines, and newspapers in postures of deep concentration. A figure that appears to be a woman in the left-central foreground is holding one book, with two others facedown to mark her place. Another figure in the center foreground is wearing a hijab and poring over what appears to be a book of African art.
Black and white photo of a cat in a window, overlooking a beach. Several soldiers can be seen in silhouette on the beach.
A colorful fresco mural by Diego Rivera depicts the arming of revolutionary forces to emphasize the power of the common people. Key figures and elements include: Frida Kahlo: The artist, and Diego’s future wife, is prominently featured at the center, wearing a red blouse with a red star on the bodice. She stands beside a table and hands ammunition to revolutionary soldiers. A red ribbon inscribed with the lyrics of a revolutionary song floats above her. Tina Modotti: An Italian photographer and communist activist is depicted to the far right, holding an ammunition belt. Julio Antonio Mella: The founder of the Cuban Communist Party, stands next to Modotti, wearing a light-colored hat. Vittorio Vidale: An Italian-born Stalinist sympathizer, stands behind Modotti and Mella wearing a black hat.
A pop-art style poster image of an American flag, with the stars on the flag replaced with bomber planes and the stripes replaced with rifles.
A quote that reads: “I see the chance for artists of all ages, disciplines, backgrounds, and geographies to put aside ego, selfies, and personal agendas to unite for a common cause. At the same time, I see the ordinary: the chores at home, the health to maintain, the marriage to hold dear, the places and people I still want to visit.”
A vibrant, colorful mural with a man at the center surrounded by dual orbits, holding a globe. Cosmic bodies spin in the orbits. Beneath him is a small row of trees and greenery representing the earth. To his right are the masses of a capitalist society, backed by soldiers in gas masks. To his right, the masses of communist society look on in orderly fashion. Three of them are sitting on a cannon.
Black-and-white photo of a dandelion seed puff with the caption “Speaking up [is] an act of creation. - Maria Ressa”
Woodcut with harsh, coarse black lines depicting a mother in a cramped cottage, sitting beside a skeletal figure of a malnourished child, hands clutching her head in despair. In the back right corner there appears to be another shadow-like female figure, possibly representing death.
The iconic “HOPE” Poster of then-presidential-candidate Barack Obama looking upward. The poster is in muted red, white, and blue tones, including Obama’s face.
Pop art style poster image of a man in a dark suit with an arm dressed in an Uncle Sam “flag” suit reaching in from out of frame to cover his mouth. In the background to the right of the “silenced” man, a faint newspaper print appears with headlines like “Economic ties grow stronger” and “SALE.” To his right is a bold, elegant font caption that reads “All The FREE SPEECH MONEY CAN BUY!”
Mural depicting streets with double-yellow and white-dashed lines down the middle, with figures in red and green marching on them, raising fists and megaphones. Along the streets are written the names Freddie Gray, George Floyd, Ahmado Arbady, Michael Brown, and more victims of police violence. The phrase BLACK LIVES MATTER is etched along one road in black, green, and red.
Surrealist-style painting of a skeleton lying in state, wearing heavy black boots and a black suit coat, with a multicolored flag draped over his face and wreathes of pale roses covering his midsection. His hands are clawed like they’re clinging to the table on which he lies. To his right, a tiny bald man with mirrored spectacles conducts a consortium of brass instruments and drums representing a military band. To his left are more flags decorated with symbols like large blue stars and blue-and-white striped cones. In the background is a white marble-like grave marker topped with a dark metallic statue of a soldier charging with a bayonet.
Oil portrait of Anna Akhmatova. She has fair skin, dark hair with short, blunt-cut bangs and the rest pulled back in a small braid or bun. Her face is rectangular, with light-blue eyes, a long, pronounced nose, and angular lips pressed tightly together. She is wearing a dark, collared dress or blouse. The background behind her is cornflower blue. There is an indistinct figure blending in with the background over her left shoulder. The figure appears to be a young person with a shaved head bowed in prayer.
An excerpt from the poem "Requiem." They took you away at daybreak. Half wak- ing, as though at a wake, I followed. In the dark chamber children were crying, In the image-case, candlelight guttered. At your lips, the chill of an ikon, A deathly sweat at your brow. I shall go creep to our wailing wall, Crawl to the Kremlin towers.
Watercolor of a gold-breasted bird with turquoise wings taking flight from a cage
Dozens of small, faceless human figures made of ice sit on concrete steps, slowly melting away.
Photo of a storm cell looming over a prairie. Concentric masses of dark-blue clouds rise into the sky, obscuring a golden sunset over a dry, flat grassy plain.
A painting of a regal Victorian woman defaced with a crude red mohawk and a cartoon speech bubble in blue saying “Eat the rich.” The rest of the painting is similarly defaced with dripping red, white, and blue paint saying things like “No surrender,” “Mind the gap,” and “There is no future.”
Vividly colorful painting of a man in a dark suit with a red tie, with a dark bowler hat. He is standing almost at attention, hands at his sides, before a bland block wall in front of a pale blue sea. Where his face should be, however, there is a bright green apple with four leaves.
Surrealistic pencil drawing of two large hands that are handcuffed over cell-like bars made out of legal books. A miniature male figure holds a key the same size as himself and is raising it to insert it into the handcuff lock.
Photo of a burned tank painted with white swirls and the word “ART”
Screenshot of the book cover of THE TRUE BELIEVER by Eric Hoffer -- a photo of a crowd saluting Adolf Hitler, who is standing in the window of a building and waving. The photo was once black and white, but the cover has changed the colors to red and cream.
An oil painting depicting the backside of a hunched-over man holding a money bag with coins spilling out. He is naked from the waist down. In his rear, where his buttocks would normally be, there is an open compartment. Half a dozen small men and one woman are crawling into his butt compartment.
A quilt showing an image of an American flag spotted with bleeding wounds. Merging with the Stars and Stripes on the left side of the flag, a smiling Black woman crying blood stands with her hands comforting two naked children clinging to her dress.
Mural on a concrete wall of a child kneeling on the ground, holding a tiny sign that features a Lakota symbol (one inverted triangle with an upright triangle directly below it, like an hourglass) in a circle. In front of her is a small seedling and a trowel, like she has just finished planting it. A caption on the mural reads: "From this moment despair ends and tactics begin"
A quote by Edgar Degas in white print on a navy blue background: "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."
Photo of protesters marching peacefully in Downtown Los Angeles
Black and white mural of young Congressman John Lewis smiling with his words quoted to the left: “Never be afraid to make noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.”
A black-and-white photo of a protest march, close-up on a woman holding a sign in front of her face that reads "WHY AM I STILL PROTESTING THIS SHIT?"
Etching of soldiers in WWI trench, wearing full-facial gas masks. The one in the foreground appears to be clawing his way forward. Behind him, one soldier raises a hammer while another, half-profile, raises his fist as if rallying the soldiers behind him. Others fade into the haze in the background.
Video of a prayer being spoken at a rally for the release of SEIU leader David Huerta
A photograph of a small Spanish-style building with a brick foundation and a white metal railing leading up to the entrance. Above the railing is a red neon sign with the letters "NOTICE NO SOLICITING," but only the letters "NO ICE SOLICITING" are lit.
A colorful drawing of two toads jousting on snail-back, using dandelion seed puffs as their weapons. The toad on the right laughs in triumph as he strikes a blow against the toad on the left with his seed puff. The toad on the left is pulling back the reins on his snail, which is rearing up. The battlefield is sparsely covered in weeds and other seed puffs. A butter-yellow sun rises in the background.
Four outlined figures incorporated with gender symbols to symbolize lesbian and gay same sex couples. Dashes surrounding their legs energize this piece and its support for the LGBTQ+ community.
A comic drawing of a German naval sailor standing in the prow of a boat called Das Reich and waving his arms frantically as the boat sinks. A Nazi flag on the boat is also about to be taken by the waves. Comical-looking sea monsters wait to devour the frantic soldier. Underneath the drawing is a caption in German that reads: "Ich glaube, die Wellen vezschlǔngen Am Ende Schiffer ǔnd Kahn, Und das hat mitseinem Brüllen Der Adolf Hitler getan. Heine (Oberst 9)"
Black print on linoleum. In the left foreground, a Greek comedy mask nailed to a broken post dominates the image. In the right foreground but a little further away from the viewer, a second comedy mask nailed to a broken post seems to be looking back at the first. The two masks and posts are positioned in such a way as to suggest a broken gate. Beyond them, in the background, masses of faceless, hunched figures march holding signs into an industrial city in the distance. A dark sky is filled with swirls that appear to be smoke billowing from smokestacks in the fr background.