Πόλεμος πάντων μὲν πατήρ ἐστι, πάντων δὲ βασιλεύς. War is the father of all and king of all; and some he shows as gods, others as men, some he makes slaves, others free.
Heraclitus

ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ – pronounced: po’lemos – Greek for war – is curated by Christoph Ziegler and Loukia Richards (ZLR Bertriebsimperium). It is ZLR’s sixth international group show during Schmuck/Munich Jewellery Week (2015 – 2020).

Weapons, shields, helmets, armours.
Tents, banners and flags.
Altars, sacrifices, rituals, talismans.
Sounds, screams, clashes.
Crowns, decorations, emblems and signs.

Nearby or far away from us, we witness military wars, social wars, gender wars, class wars, corporate wars, office wars, family wars, trade wars, cold wars.

War is performed with special equipment; it follows its own logic, choreography, myths and values.

War can be the force behind personal achievements, change, growth or disillusionment. Following the words of Heraclitus, war can free or enslave you.

Ancient Greeks adorned their temples with war scenes: gods, titans, amazons, mortals, immortals fighting to the very end. War god Ares fathered the Amazons, the feminists of Greek antiquity; hunt goddess Artemis initiated young girls in her mysteries of freedom and independence; gods fought during the sea battle of Salamis (480 BC) next to mortals, with goddess Demeter leading.

In his classic „The Art of War“ Chinese philosopher and military genius Sun Tzu writes that a general’s outmost success is to win a battle without fighting.

The year 2020 commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II when civilization resisted barbarism. Is humanity world-war-proof ever since or is the longest period of euro-atlantic concord just an illusion?

The exhibition project „WAR-ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ“ focuses on and examines rituals, symbols, objects and practices connected to real or symbolical conflicts and battles – past or present.

„WAR-ΠΟΛΕΜΟΣ” aims at highlighting jewellery and art that deal with the aesthetics and concept of war, such as militarism, peace, revolution, unrest, resistance, gender, religion, illusion, forgiveness.

www.initiation-project.com