Decades of contentious political issues and colorful political players will be on display at Duke University in an exhibit of nearly 100 editorial cartoons by award-winning cartoonist Kevin "KAL" Kallaugher.
The exhibit, titled "Mightier Than the Sword: The Satirical Pen of KAL," opens Wednesday, Nov. 7, in the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy's Rubenstein Hall. It will remain on display through the 2007-08 academic year.
"Cartooning is one of the oldest and most compelling forms of political satire," said Fritz Mayer, associate professor of public policy at Duke. "And as we see with ‘The Daily Show,' often some of the most important insights into politics and policy come first through satire." KAL has been illustrating world affairs for The Economist magazine of London since 1978, and his cartoons have appeared in prominent publications worldwide, including Le Monde, Der Spiegel, Pravda, the Australian, the New York Times, Time, Newsweek and the Washington Post. From 1988 to 2006, he drew more than 4,000 cartoons for the Baltimore Sun. KAL's drawings offer perspective on national and international political events, from the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of apartheid in South Africa to the 9/11 and Katrina disasters in the United States. The exhibit's themes include American elections and politics, foreign affairs, 9/11 and the world in turmoil, and caricatures of leading figures such as Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. A larger version of the exhibit was displayed in Baltimore's Walters Art Museum last year.
"The experience of seeing the world through KAL's eyes is eye-opening," Mayer said. "You might not always agree with his take of world figures and events, but you will leave the exhibit thinking differently about them."
KAL's cartoons are distributed worldwide by Cartoonarts International and the New York Times Syndicate. His fifth book, "KAL Draws Criticism," was published in June 2006.
The exhibit is free and open to the public weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is available in the Bryan Center parking deck on Science Drive.