James will talk about the relationship between art and war – focusing first on how artists have historically responded to conflicts, from the Greek playwrights, to Brecht, Francisco Goya and the First World War poets, and then how artists are responding to war today. James will give examples of artists who live in contemporary war zones – from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Syria – to ask how, and importantly why, they continue to make their work. When humans are doing the best to destroy each other, can artists be part of the solution, or might they also be part of the problem?

Speaker: James Thompson