The New Peace — Using Art To Define Peace And How It Actually Works!

Linda Olela
Aug 8, 2017 · 5 min read

How does peace actually work and what is peace really?

With tensions rising to an all time high because of the political and economic uncertainties, PEACE is becoming a more current, important and very necessary topic in the world today.

You need only think for example, of Britain’s recent exit from the European Union (Brexit); something we were all certain would never happen! We were certain of a certain degree of stability in this international institution. However, that is clearly no longer the case!

I visited the ‘PEACE’ exhibition at the Schirn yesterday. Here, artists are adopting a new contemporary perspective on the topic of peace through different projects. Schirn is one of the most modern and contemporary art galleries in Frankfurt. It is one of the reasons Frankfurt’s reputation as ‘a city of the arts’ is vastly growing.

The Letter Writing Project

The act of writing letters; personal letters, has almost become extinct in our digital age ! We are no longer interested in investing the time to write a letter. In this project by the artist, Lee Mingwei, the audience is invited to write a letter.

How it works

There are three structures each composed of a wooden platform and three milky translucent walls rising at the sides. The structure is open on one side and on the top. The spaces thus created in the room are bright and light; a characteristic of Asian architecture.

A step leads up to each platform, inviting the visitor to step up onto it. Each structure has a different set of furniture inside. One is for sitting, one for standing and the other for kneeling. On the walls there are narrow, horizontal wooden bars placed at regular distances, like shelves.

All the three spaces have paper, pens and envelopes placed ready for the visitor to use.

What does letter-writing have to do with peace, you may ask? Through this act one gets to speak their ‘peace’. It is an invitation for dialogue and interaction on a personal level. Recognise each other as equal discussion parties. Once finished, the visitor then places the letter in the envelope and puts it on the ‘shelf’.

At the end of the exhibition, all the letters will be sent to the different addresses on the envelopes.

A tressure hunt in the museum

Here the visitors got to climb through and touch the colourful tangle of threads. The visitors go on a tressure hunt because in the pile of thread, the artist has hidden gold chains that he has made. For many, the pleasure of this project lies in the joy of searching and the game.

But also, at the same time, the audience is confronted with serious problems facing the society. The artist, Surasi Kusolwong, through his work, examines consumer culture and brings economy and art together.

Who needs all that? Who produced it and where? At what cost? And what happens to it when it is not needed anymore? This art project is open to the individual’s interpretation.

One woman present at the exhibition said, ‘This makes me think of the garment workers in China when it comes to the textile industry.’ A discussion arose with people giving their opinions. We talked about the working conditions for the workers, their wages, the economic and political policies. How these policies have an impact on the fashion and textile industry and how this sometimes has led to war and conflicts. We also discussed what role we all play in this.

What started out as pure fun led to a very interesting discussion that helped us dicover how the ‘piece of art’ was connected to peace.

Art can provoke. As we’ve seen, art can start discussions, make us question and evaluate. Art has in the past already been used to mobilize war and inflame conflicts. But can it also be used to promote peace?

These are just two examples of art projects the Schirn gallery is showcasing to help people start the conversations on ‘PEACE’. The similarity in all the different projects was that making the connection between the art and ‘peace’ was not so obvious.

My beautiful motherland…

Kenya, one of Africa’s biggest economies and most vital democracies, is heading to the polls to vote in a hotly contested election tomorrow. This is one of the reasons why I went to the ‘PEACE’ exhibition.

Peace is not something for which only our politicians are responsible; it is up to all of us as individuals! Something, we Kenyans, had to learn the hard way back in 2007.

As long as there are people; people with individuality and diversity, it is hard to imagine the end point of peace. Peace is as old as humanity itself! I believe we have come to a point where collectively growing TOGETHER has become more appealing to us as Kenyans, than the alternative.

#MyPeace

Peace is a process and a journey. It is in the day-to-day interaction.

PEACE is fragile and fluid.

PEACE is present!

Linda Olela

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Hi@Olelatalksculture.com AWESOME articles!! :)

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