THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR (2007)

An extension of Kennedy's Superstar Shadow works, THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR arose in light of the news story of Maher Arar; a Syrian-Canadian citizen who in 2002, on his way back to Canada, was detained by US officials and interrogated about alleged links to al-Qaeda before being flown to Syria where he was imprisoned and tortured for nearly 13 months. 

Kennedy created a wall-text painting and accompanying publication to share Arar's personal recounting of his story. "The colours I use in THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR are orange, black, red, yellow and blue—all the colours that appear in Arar's story and Chronology of Events: 

'They strip searched me. It was humiliating. They put me in an orange suit, and took me to a doctor, where they made me sign forms and gave me a vaccination. I asked what it was, and they would not tell me. My arm was red for almost two weeks from that.' (p.5)

'The cable in a black electrical cable, about two inches thick. They hit me with it everywhere on my body. They mostly aimed for my palms but sometimes missed and hit my wrists. They were sore and red for three weeks. They also struck my on my hips, and lower back. Interrogators constantly threatened me with the metal chair, tire and electric shocks'...'Where they hit me with the cables my skin turned blue for two or three weeks, but there was no bleeding.' (p.7)

He is beaten on his palms, wrists, lower back and hips with a shredded black electrical cable which is about two inches in diameter.' (p.5 - chronology of Events, as told by Maher Arar on his website.) 'Arar noticed his skin turning yellow, and feels he is at the brink of a nervous breakdown. (pg. 7 - Chronology of Events)

-Garry Neill Kennedy, THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR Folder, pg. 10

THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR was first exhibited at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in 2007, an exhibition which coincided with the launch of Kennedy's publication Garry Neill Kennedy: Superstar Shadow 1984-2005. The work was acquired by AGNS in 2015, and re-exhibited there in 2021. 

In 2010, at Pickled Art (Beijing, China), Kennedy made THE COLOURS OF CITIZEN ARAR (A CONTINUATION) in which he recreated the dimensions of the jail cell in which Maher Arar was held, painting the walls in "the colours of citizen Arar". The accompanying folder can he read here.