TRACES OF WAR

War is not confined to moments of crisis or battlefield locations. There is a resonance in Michel Foucault’s observation that the ‘roar of battle’ travels silently in our modes of being and interactions, discourses and institutions, and the practices we take for granted. This quotidian aspect of war has political and economic consequences, as well as visceral and emotional effects.

Our exhibition, Traces of War, reimagines war beyond its exceptionality, locating it in spaces where it would be least expected. At the same time, the artworks reveal the sheer power of the everyday, as life itself and in its most ordinary makes its presence felt in the most dangerous locations of war.

Working with artists Jananne Al-Ani, Baptist Coelho and Shaun Gladwell, we explore this enduring and most dangerous aspect of war, namely its presence in the everyday and its imprints variously on landscapes, bodies, memories, words and emotions, as well as the most hidden spaces. Working primarily with photography, film and multi- media installations, all three artists have direct experience of the zones of conflict and war, from Iraq, to India, to Bangladesh, to Afghanistan, and then ‘back home’ where the traces of war are revealed again, as if there is no such thing as leaving war behind.

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DANCE PERFORMANCE

‍Candoco Dance Company, in collaboration with Faber Productions and The Charlie F Project, worked with King’s College London students, pupils from Harris Girls Academy and Clapton Girls Academy, the cast members of the Charlie F Project and Cando2 Youth Dance to produce an original dance performance around the themes of Traces of War set to the sound score of artist Jannane Al-Ani’s Shadow Sites II.

There was two free performances at 13.30 and 14.45 on 28 October 2016 moving through the Inigo Rooms and other spaces across Somerset House East Wing.

ARTIST &
CURATOR TOURS

‍Thursday 27 October, Baptist Coelho Thursday 3 November, Shaun Gladwell Thursday 10 November, Jananne Al-Ani

Tours start at 18.30 and take place in the Inigo Rooms, Somerset House East Wing. For more information please speak to a member of staff or go to kcl.ac.uk/culture

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the artists:

Jananne Al-Ani
Baptist Coelho
Shaun Gladwell

Cultural Programming at King’s College London would like to thank all the galleries and individuals who have so generously lent and contributed to the exhibition.

Lighting & AV Designer: Corin Davis, Technical Coordinator: Martin Abrams, Exhibition Construction: The White Wall Company, Creative Producer: Andy Franzkowiak.

King’s College London Programming team:
Director: Alison Duthie, Head of Programming: Leanne Hammacott, Programming Coordinators: Kaye Mahoney and Stella Toonen. Additional thanks to the Estates, Venues, Communications and Widening Participation teams at King’s.

Extra special thanks to: Jayne Peake; Susanne Krieg; Olabisi Olulode; Peter Busch; Pablo de Orellana;
all of the Department of War Studies at King’s; Marnie Middlemiss, Fundraising & Supporter Development at King’s; and Anna Marazuela Kim, Freie University, Berlin.

kcl.ac.uk/culture @ CulturalKings # TracesOfWar

The exhibition is supported by Department of War Studies, King’s College London (Arts & Conflict Hub); Cultural Programming, King’s College London; Arts Council England; The Leverhulme Trust (Leverhulme Artist in Residence); The Delfina Foundation; London and Australia Council for the Arts; the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body. In addition, acknowledgements are due to the Royal Geographical Society, London; Project 88, Mumbai; Anna Schwartz Gallery, Melbourne.

Baptist Coelho

Baptist Coelho is an Indian artist born in 1977. He articulates unspoken stories and conjures meaning from psychological and physical disruptions caused by war. Through a process of archival and ethnographical research, engagement with military and civilian personnel, he investigates issues surrounding conflict, war (and war museums), conscription, commemoration, heroism, emotion, fear, healing, the body and gender. In 2006, Baptist Coelho received his MA from the Birmingham Institute of Art & Design, UK. He was awarded, the Sovereign Asian Art Prize, Hong Kong; Promising Artist Award, India; amongst others. Solo exhibitions include, Somerset House, London (UK); Goethe-Zentrum, Hyderabad (India); Project 88, Mumbai (India); LAMO, Leh (India); Pump House Gallery, London (UK); Grand Palais, Bern (Switzerland); among others. Baptist Coelho has exhibited, performed and screened in various institutions that include Stamford Arts Centre, Singapore; SH Ervin Gallery, Sydney (Australia); Centre Pompidou, Paris (France); New Art Exchange, Nottingham (UK); Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris (France); CASS Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood (UK); Zacheta National Art Gallery, Warsaw (Poland); Gwangju Museum of Art (South Korea); among others. Baptist Coelho has done artist residencies at NTU CCA, Singapore; Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris; Artspace, Sydney; Leverhulme Artist-in-Residence at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK; Récollets, Paris; Delfina Foundation, London; among others. The artist lives and work in Mumbai, India. https://www.baptistcoelho.com/statement/

https://ocula.com/magazine/conversations/baptist-coelho/

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We are witnessing war in all kinds of spaces and locations, some predictable and others less so. The elements of war, its violence, antagonisms, exclusions, displacements, populations on the move, people killed and tortured, can have a presence in everyday life.