Exhibit inspired by 9-11 depicts its global impact
LONDON — A new London exhibition about art since 9-11 begins with images — both familiar and shocking — of the devastated Twin Towers in New York.
The Imperial War Museum’s Age of Terror show goes on to display works from the United States, Britain, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and beyond, all dealing with Sept. 11, 2001 and its consequences.
It’s evidence, if any were needed, that the al-Qaida attacks on the U.S. changed the world.
Rebecca Newell, the museum’s head of art, said 9-11 was “a watershed in our society, our political and cultural identity. And I think you could probably say that it’s a watershed for artists.”
Curator Sanna Moore said “artists have always commented on world-changing events,” but research by the museum found the number of artists reacting to conflicts has increased since the 2001 attacks.
“That was really the nucleus for where this show and this project started,” she said.
“As a consequence of the internet, artists are really rapidly informed now, as we all are. I think that feeds in to the subjects they cover.”
September 11 coincided with the birth of the internet age, and technology helped make the airliner attacks, which killed some 3,000 people, instantly a worldwide catastrophe.
The exhibition begins with a reminder of how global it was: a room lined with newspaper front pages from Sept. 12, 2001, bearing images of destruction and headlines of war in many languages.
The museum has gathered work by more than 40 artists for the biggest art show in its 100-year history.
Chilean artist Ivan Navarro’s The Twin Towers appears to be two inverted skyscrapers plunging through the floor into infinity.
Other works reflect on the growth of state control and surveillance during the “war on terror” launched by the U.S. after 9-11.
Indian artist Jitish Kallat has sculpted a playful line of miniature people being searched, as if in an airport security queue.
Another section of the show is devoted to weapons — especially the rise of drones.
Visitors entering the museum step over James Bridle’s Drone Shadow, an outline of a drone drawn on the floor.
A final group of works, under the label Home, includes pieces by artists from Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria about their conflict-scarred homelands, as well as works about soldiers returning from war.
Age of Terror: Art Since 9-11 runs to May 28, 2018.