A military ambulance from the 60s parked in front of the archaeological sites of the Born Center Cultural i Memòria (El Born CCM), does not go unnoticed. And the reason is titled Welcome Evil, the new work by artist Francesc Torres, which will be in that place until next May 26. The montage by one of the great promoters of multimedia installation and video art reflects on the war, and is the prologue to the exhibition Why, the war? an exhibition that is inspired by the exchange of letters between Freud and Einstein, and that will arrive at the cultural space in March of next year.
The choice of the ambulance for the assembly was not random. This vehicle is one of those that are part of a war conflict, such as a tank. The difference is that the ambulance fulfills a double function. It is part of the battle, but it seeks to save lives. One of the ambiguities that the artist presents about war, this complex human act, which the work – and the subsequent exhibition – seeks to reflect through art. “The first step to be able to do something about this very human manifestation that is war, is to understand it deeply,” says Torres. “War is not simple. It is a complex topic and has become more complex as history progresses and society becomes more sophisticated,” adds the Barcelona artist.
The link between war and art is not new. The Horrors of War, by Rubens, Liberty Leading the People, by Delacroix and Guernica by Picasso are just some of the hundreds of examples of works that were inspired by war conflicts. Therefore, an exhibition that reflects on this phenomenon, while wars occur in different parts of the world, is more relevant than ever. “It shows the fragility on which society is sustained,” says Jordi Font, director of the Democratic Memorial and co-curator of the exhibition together with Marta Marín-Dòmine, the former director of El Born CCM.
The installation of Torres can be approached from many fronts. Upon entering the lobby, the image of a Ukrainian civilian, shot down while riding a bicycle, is seen on the floor. Sample of the civilian as the most harmed in a war conflict. The ambulance is parked, with an egg in between, against a concrete wall, as a symbol of fragility. The other side of the wall features an image of a soldier with a newborn in his hands, taken in 1944 by Eugene Smith. The rear doors of the car are completely open and inside a screen alternates war images with those of a mother breastfeeding her child. A work that “challenges us and questions the phenomenon of war and human expression,” says Jaume Muñoz, director of cultural heritage at the Barcelona Institute of Culture.
The welcome evil will be on display in the main lobby of the Born CCM, until next May 26. New pieces by artists who reflect on this theme will be added to the work, framed in the exhibition Why, war?, which will be installed starting in March. Works by artists such as Alfredo Jaar, Juan Manuel Echavarría and Fernando Sánchez Castillo will soon accompany that of Francesc Torres.
