Exhibition explores different perspectives of Iraq war on 10th anniversary

An art exhibition opening this week at UCL brings together six works by artists from Iraq and Britain to explore different experiences of the Iraq war on the 10th anniversary of the invasion. The project which includes artwork by professional artists, anti-war campaigners and a British soldier, presents a broader range of artistic responses to the war than is usually seen in the UK. "The idea of the exhibition was to give a sense of how artists have responded to the war ten years on from the invasion of the diversity of those responses in terms of artistic practices, perspectives and experiences," said curator Alan Ingram (UCL Geography). "I also wanted to explore the themes of space, place, landscape and territory, which come up again and again in how artists deal with war." The artists' work spans a wide range of practices, including painting, drawing, engraving, montage and mixed-media, and has been exhibited or used in a wide variety of ways, ranging from personal diaries, to banners used on demonstrations and exhibitions in contemporary art galleries in the UK and internationally. As well as highlighting the violence, anxiety and ruin of war, the exhibition raises questions about resistance, resilience and dreams of peace. "The project has highlighted how art and war both revolve around the experience and representation of geographic space. By looking at things through the theme of space, we can gain a deeper understanding of the relationships between art and war," said Ingram.