Desktop News | February 2023
“The Arts of War: The Hearts of War” is a thought-provoking and introspective display of works that explore the various forms of conflict and war that we experience in our daily lives. The exhibit is based on the idea that war is everywhere, both in the larger global context and in smaller, personal conflicts.
The exhibit features work from a broad range of artists, including students, veterans and a prisoner to showcase the different perspectives and experiences of war. Oluwafunmilayo Akinpelu, exhibit director and UA Ph.D. student, worked with each participant to ensure collaborative and diverse displays of artwork. Each piece of art is an interpretation of Machiavellian and Sun Tzu-ian’s concept, war is an art and art is about wars.
“It has shown me that everyone has something to say, and everyone has the story to tell when it comes about war,” said Akinpelu.
Akinpelu created the art exhibit as her own personal response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Visitors can expect to engage with the exhibit through a personal and introspective journey. Akinpelu hopes that the artwork will serve as a channel for visitors to reflect on their own experiences of war.
“The artworks I hope, will be just a conduit for each visitor to truly and honestly remark on their own experiences of war and the wars that we are fighting,” said Akinpelu. “So, as much as art is an expressive mood, it is also a mood of introspection.”
There was a pre-exhibit event on February 10 in which six contributors performed their pieces. These performances were recorded and will be a part of the physical and digital exhibit experience. The night closed with a performance of spoken word and percussion in response to Russian’s invasion in Ukraine.
The opening ceremony will be held February 24 from 5 – 7 p.m. with a live percussion ensemble. The artists will be on hand to discuss their prices.
The exhibit opens on February 24 and runs until March 28 at the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum.
For more information about “The Arts of War: The Hearts of War,” contact omakinpelu@crimson.ua.edu.