The phrase „never again” very frequently appears as a title to various anti-war exhibitions and events that most commonly refer to World War II. Never Again? used in the form of a question gains an entirely new and grievous meaning as it confronts this timeworn slogan with reality – exposing its futility and shattering hope for those words to come into fruition.

Throughout the last eight decades there was not a single moment when the world was free of armed conflicts. On the contrary, we are still witnessing unceasing combat and – thanks to the rapid flow of information – its coverage reaches us instantly, thus affecting our psyche by embedding a war imagery that is hard to forget.

The exhibited artworks come from the collection of the State Museum at Majdanek that has been expanded with pieces displayed during the International Art Triennials. The first three editions of this project were organised under the subtitle “against the war” that was forgone over the following years. Though the imagery displayed in the first instalments predominantly included the direct representations of wartime atrocities, it eventually evolved into more universal forms. It partially results from the abundance of time that has passed since we experienced those conflicts, but also from the geographical distancing from the ongoing ones, These factors cause the artists to manifest their opposition against war with emotional distancing. The current events in Ukraine, however, shortened that distance dramatically. When war became a fact rather than a remote threat, it not only reshaped our perception of security and our sense of community, but it also caused us to realise the fragility of political structures and democracy.

The exhibition includes over a dozen works of an anti-war character that offer various perspectives on the subject. A 1980 piece by Otton Sander – So you Think That Russians Want War – is particularly important considering the current circumstances. Other works represent e.g. a city razed by bombardment (Neil Owen, Steel City, 2001), some elements of military infrastructure (Paweł Warchoł, Bunker 7 & 8, 1998), fists raised to express opposition towards aggression (Erna Rosenstein, The Calling, 1984), as well as the victims of war (Paivi Merilainen, Why Must so Many Children Leave Their Home? IV, 1966 and Teresa Pągowska, Cage, 1973).

How has our reception of those artworks changed since now war is also our contemporary experience. The exhibitions was born out of reflection over the validity of our anti-war collection, as well as from the inner need to once again manifest our relentless protest, even though its postulates are apparently so difficult to fulfil.

Artists: Erna Rosenstein, Józef Szajna, Marian Bogusz, Paweł Warchoł, Monika Pietsch, Teresa Pągowska, Tomasz Malec, Otto Sander, Cezary Klimaszewski, Tomasz Kawiak, Anna Jelonek-Socha, Stefan Gierowski, Neil Owen, Jiri Anderle, Paivi Merilainen

Curator: Aleksandra Skrabek
Cooperation: Anna Surdacka
Proofreading: Dorota Niedziałkowska
Translation: Łukasz Mrozik (ENG), Halyna Lystvak (UKR)
Language versions: Polish, English, Ukrainian
Venue: Visitor Service Centre
The date of the exhibition: 23.04.2022 – 30.09.2022