John Kiss
Kiss' work centers on the transformative capacity of art as a catalyst for healing within communities experiencing conflict or crisis. Involved in various peace organizations since his teens, including the Bereaved Families for Peace and Peace Now, his longing for peace is often reflected in his work. In the mural The Peace Kids, painted on the Palestinian-Israeli separation wall in Bethlehem, Kiss created work which is considered optimistic, with a "message of hope" and a "spirit of reconciliation and brotherhood" between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The artwork triggered "enormous controversy" and was included in various essays and articles, as well as on the front cover of Peace Science Digest.