Lecture, Barnard's Inn Hall, Wednesday, 11 Feb 2026 - 18:00

Peacebuilding through the Visual Arts

Two side-by-side murals: one celebrating a historical unionist figure with bold text and symbols, and the other showing an older man speaking beside a message calling for peace and respect for differing views.

How can the visual arts be used to promote peace? Professor Mitchell investigates how the visual arts can not only incite violence, but also bear witness, reveal dangerous memories, transform violence, contribute to healing trauma and imagine more hopeful futures. Examples are taken from both current conflicts (Russia-Ukraine, Israel-Palestine) and past wars (Paul Nash and Otto Dix in the First World War, local artists in the Iran-Iraq War and the 1984 Rwandan genocide). Professor Mitchell analyses the ambivalent role of the visual arts in building peace.

Professor Jolyon Mitchell

Professor Jolyon Mitchell

Professor Jolyon Mitchell specialises in Religion, Violence and Peacebuilding, with particular reference to the arts and media. Educated at the Universities of Cambridge, Durham and...

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