We find ourselves in an era where conflict is rampant: globally, regionally, personally. In many ways conflict feels unavoidable in our everyday lives. In addition to the never-ending political upheavals, we are experiencing climate crisis, intensifying friction between the haves and the have nots, internal grappling with who we are as individuals and as communities. Art too reflects this turmoil and struggle. The work selected for this exhibition highlights the different conflicts we encounter daily: man’s impact on nature, the decay of our built environment, war, forms of protest. Yet, several works in the exhibition also offer a moment of respite from this steady stream of conflict—two women embracing, a child standing strong in the face of danger. The consequences of our conflicts surface in the space between subject matter and content in each work. Consequences are not necessarily foretold, but hint at possible futures. Pablo Picasso famously stated about his anti-war painting Guernica: “It isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols… the public who look at the picture must interpret the symbols as they understand them.” The work featured in Conflict and Consequences invites the viewer to reflect on their own conflicts and to imagine what might emerge in the aftermath.

– Kelly Lindner, Juror