Art that challenges the rhetorics of war and peace
The seed for the exhibition War is Peace? was planted back in 2019. At the time, curator Asle Olsen had just joined the center when Bjørn Vangen, Chief Librarian at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, introduced him to Francisco Goya’s series The Disasters of War. A few years earlier, Vangen had come across a copy of the book by chance on a library shelf.
The book contains 82 harrowing etchings that depict the atrocities committed during the Spanish War of Independence.
“It’s fascinating how Goya was among the first visual artists of his time to openly criticize war,” Olsen says.
From that moment on, Olsen knew he wanted to include Goya’s work in an exhibition.
From Goya, the path led to Ernst Friedrich’s anti-war manifesto War Against War!, and then to Susan Sontag’s book Regarding the Pain of Others. Friedrich’s book, published in 1924, roughly a century after Goya’s etchings, was directly inspired by The Disasters of War.
“Friedrich drew on Goya’s work, but used photography instead of etching. In his book, he questions the heroization and glorification of war during the First World War.”
"Friedrich drew on Goya’s work, but used photography instead of etching. In his book, he questions the heroization and glorification of war during the First World War."
From Goya to Contemporary Photography
With a background in photography, Olsen wanted to combine Goya’s work and Friedrich’s book with contemporary photographic perspectives. His aim was to show how images of human suffering shape our understanding of violence, conflict, and compassion.
“Photography can create empathy and bring us closer to the pain of others, but it can also numb us when we are overexposed. Where is the line between awareness and over-saturation? How much suffering can one person bear to witness?”
The exhibition features works by Magnum photographers Nanna Heitmann and Antoine d’Agata, both of whom have previously contributed to Nobel Peace Prize exhibitions at the center.
“One can draw parallels between Heitmann, d’Agata, and Goya, even two centuries later. Looking across that span of time allows us to place these themes in a contemporary context and highlight what humanity continues to grapple with: war.”
Premiere for Barbara Kruger in Norway
Alongside the depictions of war’s brutality, spanning from the early 1800s to the present day, the exhibition also highlights language, propaganda, and rhetoric. This is reflected in works by Nanna Heitmann and, for the first time in Norway, Barbara Kruger. Considered one of the most influential contemporary artists in the United States, Kruger is known for her bold, slogan-driven collages, which have been exhibited at world-renowned institutions such as MoMA and the Guggenheim Bilbao.
“Her work in the exhibition is highly relevant in light of today’s political rhetoric on war and peace. It is difficult to know what is true in today’s media landscape,” says Olsen.
Kruger’s works point back to Goya and Friedrich, to a time when war was glorified, and remind us how such narratives still echo in the rhetoric of states, media, and leaders today.
Love or Hate
The final section of the exhibition offers a striking contrast to the darkness that precedes it. Here, Olsen wanted to present an alternative to horror.
“There is something that stands in direct opposition to war and hatred: love. Perhaps this exhibition is a reminder that we always have a choice to move in that direction.”
A large digital screen displays concepts of peace from across history, underscoring that humanity has tried to define peace for as long as it has waged war. Works by Carolina Caycedo and Yoko Ono broaden the perspective, challenging Western narratives and highlighting themes of love and nature.
Parallels Between Artists and Nobel Laureates
In three places throughout the exhibition, visitors encounter quotations from Nobel Peace Prize laureates Bertha von Suttner, Martin Luther King Jr., and Wangari Maathai.
“I discovered these quotes independently of the curatorial narrative. But I soon realized the clear parallels between the ideas of these peace laureates and the artistic contributions in the exhibition,” says Olsen.
"How can justice be attained when, in the expiation of an old wrong, another wrong is to be committed?"
What do you hope visitors will take away after seeing the exhibition?
“At first, I think the exhibition will confront people and take them out of their comfort zone by exposing them to the brutality of war, both past and present,” Olsen says. “But I also hope it gives visitors a sense of hope, that they remember there is still goodness in the world, something worth nurturing. In the end, perhaps it’s an exhibition about hate and love, and the tension between those forces within humanity.”
What has been most rewarding curating this exhibition?
“I deeply appreciate that the Nobel Peace Center dares to address difficult and uncomfortable questions. It also means a lot that such renowned, influential artists believe in this project and want to create change through their art. That is a strength for both the Nobel Peace Center and the artists: that we stand together in what we wish to convey.”
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