On display through May 15; gallery hours are 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. weekdays.

MEDIA RELEASE__A lush head of bright green, leafy lettuce and kale sprouts upward from an illustrated skull, as if replacing the brain with healthy produce. The vibrant green leaves provide a sharp contrast to the black and white illustration, a striking, vintage, scientific drawing of human anatomy. The cross-section reveals veins, muscles, and nerves, emphasizing the biological reality of the human body—reminding the viewer that we are complex, living organisms dependent on the food we consume. The text at the top, “Less Food Waste = Life,” is typeset in a bold, red, sans serif font. The equation signifies a complex global issue, communicating an undeniable truth.

With this seemingly effortless combination of image and text, Luis Rivera of Mexico forces a sudden mental connection that might otherwise require several paragraphs to convey. Rivera’s poster is a masterclass in visual economy. Every element is stripped down to its most potent symbolic form, creating a persuasive message of social advocacy. This urgent visual statement illustrates the contemporary relevancy of posters, currently featured at the Elzay Gallery of Art at Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio.

The 2025 United States International Poster Biennial (USIPB) Exhibition is a global competition celebrating the power of posters to inform, provoke, and inspire. Founded in 2022, the USIPB is dedicated to elevating posters as an art form. Its 2025 competition brought in 11,845 submissions spanning 93 countries. Entries were divided into four categories including social, cultural, motion, and U.S. National Parks — which ONU has organized into separate sections within the gallery space. 

Posters are among the most universal forms of design. We encounter them on streets, in classrooms, at protests, in theaters, and online. They communicate across languages and borders, making ideas visible in an instant. Often designed to deliver emotional impact on political, environmental, and many other issues, these posters on view combine visual semiotics into poignant statements. Innocent building blocks form an imposing factory in Aleksandra Kortas’ “Stop Child Labor.” Sousan Samanifar’s “Yellowstone: The Heart of Nature” features an aerial view of the famous Grand Prismatic Spring. Gaja Bumbar’s “No Place Like Home” pictures a front door handle made of cardboard to convey homelessness. Other designs promote and celebrate the arts, such as Kseniya Tokmakova’s “The Perfumer” and Francesco Mazzenga’s “Peace Construction.”

The compelling poster exhibition is exactly in the spirit of the USIPB. Graphic advocacy and evocative narratives, the USIPB amplifies voices to serve as a demonstration of solidarity, a declaration of defiance, and more often than not, as a call to action.

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