Beauty of the Battle

Beauty of the Battle: the beauty of conflict in CODA Museum Apeldoorn

30 September 2018 to 3 February 2019

We have a natural aversion to violence, strife and hatred. Yet there is beauty to be found in battle and combat, for instance when they are incorporated in a dance performance or depicted in a painting. In Beauty of the Battle, CODA Museum Apeldoorn confronts its visitors with this apparent contradiction. Commissioned by CODA director Carin Reinders, guest curator Wim van der Beek selected works by 22 artists for this exhibition, which explores the boundaries of hate and love, danger and beauty. Beauty of the Battle is an impressive presentation that connects painting, sculpture, video art, performance art, installations and dance. The exhibition is staged in CODA Museum Apeldoorn from 30 September 2018 to 3 February 2019 inclusive.

The exhibition leads visitors along the broad spectrum of violence in visual art. Searching for the motives of mankind, which has always been fascinated with battle, historical depictions of fierce Japanese warriors by Hokusai are shown alongside rare Indian miniatures of hunting horsemen. Heroic art is the prelude to the contemporary works that address topical themes.  

In our modern-day society, displaying violence has become all but normal. On a daily basis, we are confronted with brutal violence in the media and with its glorification in video games and films. Closer to home, there are personal conflicts related to identity and sexual preference or sexual violence, themes that also frequently feature on social media. Other examples are the confrontations in sport, which delight the audience. To the artists in Beauty of the Battle, these types of violence or battle are a source of inspiration. However, they represent them in other forms than the ones we are used to encountering in the media. Using various materials, they incorporate violence and battle in artworks in which beauty and stylising are predominant. Sometimes as a reaction to what is happening in the world, sometimes, conversely, springing from an inner, personal conflict.  

Barbara Broekman, for instance, makes monumental, woven paintings in which she shows enlarged photos from newspapers depicting tragic images of war that are also stunningly beautiful. Jens Pfeifer tricks the spectator with the fragile beauty of his glass hand grenades and guns. The Russian artist collective AES+F uses the attractive aesthetics of computer games and the innocent beauty of children to depict atrocious war scenes. Abu Bakarr Mansaray from Sierra Leone makes singular drawings of ingenious killing machines. These seductive images are a façade for cruel, sometimes personal war stories. The traumas of the postcolonial violence of Apartheid play a part in the work of South African artist Mohau Modisakeng, who transforms them into chillingly beautiful photos. Childish Gambino chooses music and a controversial music video as the medium for his urgent message about gun violence and racial issues in the United States.

And when does love become a battle? The video works of performance art duos Abramovic & Ulay and twin sisters L.A. Raeven show that love and battle go dangerously well together. In addition, people practising martial arts, dancers, and a choreographer explore the boundary between battle and beauty in performances related to the exhibited works. Between his massive sculptures, Damian Kapojos stages performances that are crossovers between martial arts and ballet.

Participating artists: Abramovic/Ulay | AES+F (RU) | Tamme de Boer (NL) | Barbara Broekman (NL) | Eishôsai Chôki (JP) | Childish Gambino (USA) | Katsushika Hokusai (JP) | Damian Kapojos (NL) | Patrick Koster (NL) | Abbas Kowsari (IR) | Utagawa Kunisada (JP) | Utagawa Kuniyoshi (JP) | Abu Bakarr Mansaray (SL) | Mohau Modisakeng (ZA) | Hertog/Nadler (IL/NL) | Jens Pfeifer (NL) | LA Raeven (NL) |Ronald Tolman (NL) | Harm Weistra (NL) | Wieske Wester (NL) | Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (JP) | Ali Zanjani (IR).- - - END OF PRESS RELEASE - - - Note to the editors (not to be published): for additional information, please contact the PR department: team-pr@coda-apeldoorn.nl, +31 (0)55 5268511.