Can visual art actually build peace, or does it sometimes fuel the fire?
In short: Visual art is often celebrated for its power to heal, but its role in conflict is deeply ambivalent. Professor Jolyon Mitchell explores how art can simultaneously incite violence and serve as a tool for reconciliation, drawing on historical and contemporary examples from the First World War to modern global conflicts.
The relationship between art and conflict is far from straightforward. Professor Jolyon Mitchell, a specialist in religion, violence, and peacebuilding at Durham University, argues that visual arts possess a dual capacity: they can be used to stir up aggression or to foster peace. This ambivalence means that art does not inherently promote harmony; rather, it acts as a powerful medium that can bear witness to atrocities, surface dangerous memories, and help communities navigate the trauma of war.
Mitchell’s research examines a wide spectrum of historical and modern conflicts. He highlights the work of artists like Paul Nash and Otto Dix, whose depictions of the First World War captured the visceral reality of combat. These historical perspectives are contrasted with more recent examples, including the experiences of local artists during the Iran-Iraq War and the 1984 Rwandan genocide. By analyzing these diverse contexts, Mitchell demonstrates how art can be weaponized or utilized as a mechanism for healing and imagining more hopeful futures.
Beyond academic study, Mitchell’s work is grounded in practical engagement. He has directed international projects on peacebuilding and collaborated with religious leaders and journalists in Jerusalem to explore how media and art influence conflict transformation. His extensive body of work, including the 2020 volume Peacebuilding and the Arts, underscores the necessity of understanding the complex, often contradictory ways that cultural expression shapes our response to violence. Ultimately, the study of art in conflict zones is not just about aesthetics; it is a critical inquiry into how we remember, reconcile, and move forward after collective trauma.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Peacebuilding through the visual Arts - Jolyon Mitchell
- Also: Peacebuilding through the visual Arts - Jolyon Mitchell - Gresham College Lectures
- Also: www.gresham.ac.uk — Peacebuilding through the Visual Arts
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