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Nelson Mandela

Added by Behnam Raeesian 9 on May 20th, 2026

Date

2014

Credits

Format

Nelson Mandela is a 2014 commemorative social poster by Iranian poster designer Behnam Raeesian. The work shows a bowed human silhouette containing a dove-shaped brain holding an olive branch, connecting Mandela’s legacy with peace, memory, imprisonment, resilience, and liberation.

The poster was created for the international poster project “Nelson Mandela the Liberty Pigeon” and was documented on Posterpage.ch in 2014. It was also exhibited in the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, where it was recognized among the referees’ top picks, and later shown in South Korea. The work reflects Raeesian’s early minimalist approach to political and social poster design, using a single symbolic replacement to turn the human mind into an image of peace.

Tags

Nelson Mandela, commemorative social poster by Behnam Raeesian, Iran, 2014.
Source: Posterpage.ch — “Nelson Mandela the Liberty Pigeon,” selected/winners poster page, 2014. http://www.posterpage.ch/winners/mand_14/mand_14.htm Additional documentation preserved in the artist’s personal archive, including exhibition photographs, referees’ top pick documentation, and installation documentation from Tehran and South Korea.
Nelson Mandela, commemorative social poster by Behnam Raeesian, Iran, 2014.
Event documentation from the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, Mandela Liberty Pigeon, 2014.
Source: Behnam Raeesian personal archive; documentation from the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, Mandela Liberty Pigeon, 2014.
Event documentation from the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, Mandela Liberty Pigeon, 2014.
Installation documentation showing Nelson Mandela in exhibition context.
Source: Behnam Raeesian personal archive; installation documentation from the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, Mandela Liberty Pigeon, 2014.
Installation documentation showing Nelson Mandela in exhibition context.
Documentation showing Behnam Raeesian listed among the referees’ top picks for Mandela Liberty Pigeon.
Source: Behnam Raeesian personal archive; referees’ top pick documentation from the International Poster Exhibition in Tehran, Mandela Liberty Pigeon, 2014.
Documentation showing Behnam Raeesian listed among the referees’ top picks for Mandela Liberty Pigeon.
Installation documentation showing Nelson Mandela exhibited in South Korea.
Source: Behnam Raeesian personal archive; exhibition documentation from South Korea.
Installation documentation showing Nelson Mandela exhibited in South Korea.