ARTISTS

Lawrence Abu Hamdan, John Akomfrah, Allora & Calzadilla, Lucas Arruda, Mirna Bamieh, Fiona Banner, Neïl Beloufa, Monica Bonvicini, Candice Breitz, Janet Cardiff, The Center for Spatial Technologies con el apoyo de/supported by Forensic Architecture & Forensis, Manthia Diawara, Ryan Gander, Cristina Garrido, Ayrson Heráclito, Jenny Holzer, Marine Hugonnier, Saodat Ismailova, Sanja Ivekovic, Nikita Kadan, Samson Kambalu, Amar Kanwar, Armin Linke,,Cristina Lucas, Goshka Macuga, Pavlo Makov, Ursula Mayer, Joiri Minaya, Olaf Nicolai, Daniel Otero Torres, Jasbir Puar & Dima Srouji, The Propeller Group, Walid Raad/The Atlas Group, Lisa Rave, Lorenzo Sandoval, Allan Sekula, Vivian Suter, Sissel Tolaas, Suzanne Treister, Álvaro Urbano, Akram Zaatari

Amid loss, mourning, rage, and the ravages of war, the yearning for peace feels ever more urgent. And yet, peace, once a beacon of hope alongside freedom, sovereignty, and democracy, now finds itself ensnared in a web of contested ideas and polarizing demands. The Ecologies of Peacereframes peacefulness and ecology beyond the binary of war and peace to take note of the interrelations and dis/continuities that emerge at a collective moment of rethinking the world. How can we harness the liberatory and equitable potentials enshrined in the concept of peace, drawing on past lessons and failures, while also extending its reach to nonhuman entities and the earth? Building on the contributions of over forty artists from the collection of TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, the exhibition introduces alternative frameworks through which to cultivate peaceful relations and explores the interplay of peacebuilding with transitional, abolitionist, intersectional, and ecological justice.

At the heart of The Ecologies of Peace lies a commitment to examining the intricacies of peace and its myriad challenges through the lens of art and culture. It juxtaposes works that highlight the ways in which peace, freedom, and democracy are shaped by the realities of ¿permanent war¿ with works that maintain that such conditions are no longer acceptable. The exhibition gives visibility to practices of opposition and resistance to the use of force and repressive power, as well as transformational efforts that reshape the boundaries of political action and praxis. Finally, it underscores the potential of art as a vehicle for reinvention, remediation, and solidarity, directed at the restoration of broken relations among humans and with the planet.

Through their situated, intersectionalist, and trans-environmentalist perspectives, the artists in the exhibition contribute to destabilizing the deeply rooted cultural acceptance and the normalization of war. By disentangling peace from ¿war,¿ that is its traditional association with inter- and intrastate armed conflict, they help us to identify war as encompassing colonial subjugation; occupation; the creation of segregated enclaves, where marginalized communities are confined; the militarized imposition of force during civil protests; gender-based violence; and extractivist practices leading to ecocide. This perspective also deepens our comprehension of the multifaceted nature of peace work, suggesting that peace does not only mean an end to warfare. Above all, it entails a dedication to social, cultural, and spiritual practices aimed at resolving, reconciling, and healing the wounds, losses, and injuries experienced by both postconflict and preconflict societies. In pursuit of ecologies of peace, it encourages us to view peacefulness as an unending transformative journey and a ¿traveling¿ concept, shaped by the myriad stations, communities, and realities through which it passes.

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