Art Against War: ‘Conflict, Chaos and Reality’

The interdisciplinary art project Conflict, Chaos and Reality reached its moving conclusion on Tuesday 20 January at the Fine Arts Gallery, as part of the NO Cuesta d’Enero programme organised by the Fine Arts Association. The final event marked the culmination of a multi-part artistic journey that began on 12 November 2025 at the GEMA Gallery during the Kitchen Studios takeover, opening with a presentation on the theme of War and Art and an introduction to the project’s aims.

From its inception, Conflict, Chaos and Reality invited public participation and collective reflection on the realities of conflict and the role of art as a catalyst for dialogue, peace and reconciliation. The first phase of the project took place at GEMA Gallery, where members of the public were invited to collaborate by having the silhouettes of their bodies drawn onto a large white sheet laid across the gallery floor. The response was overwhelming. As more participants took part, the silhouettes began to overlap, forming dense, abstract marks on the fabric. These layered impressions powerfully evoked the confusion, disorder and emotional weight associated with war zones.

Part two of the project unfolded on 22 December 2025 at GEMA Gallery and took the form of a collaborative performance with The Movement Collective. The dancers choreographed a piece that brought the drawn silhouettes to life, moving both on top of and beneath the sheets. Members of the public were again invited to intervene and participate, creating a shared physical experience. Through movement, shape and expression, the performers transformed the static marks into a living, breathing response to conflict, highlighting the human presence behind the abstract imagery.

The final stage of Conflict, Chaos and Reality took place on 20 January 2026 in an open-air setting in front of the Fine Arts Gallery at Casemates. The original sheet bearing the public’s silhouettes was installed outdoors, and video documentation of the performance was projected onto it. This public installation offered visibility beyond gallery walls, drawing in passers-by who stopped to observe, reflect and ask questions about the project. The act of projecting the moving bodies back onto the drawn silhouettes created a powerful symbolic gesture, reinforcing an explicit anti-war message and emphasising art’s ability to communicate across boundaries.

The project also succeeded in connecting different local art collectives within a single collaborative framework, demonstrating unity and solidarity in creative opposition to global conflicts. For both attendees and unsuspecting members of the public, the final event proved deeply emotional, serving as a reminder of art’s enduring role as a voice of social conscience.

Conflict, Chaos and Reality stands as a compelling example of how art and culture can unite communities, provoke dialogue and foster collective reflection in times of uncertainty

Public Installation: Casemates Square 20th January 2026

The original sheet bearing the public’s silhouettes will be installed outdoors at Casemates square infront of the Fine Arts Gallery, and the video documentation of the performance will be projected onto it.