Art at war: Where Are We Now?

“Art At War” is the hopelessness and the lifelong search for hope. It reflects on the human tendency to cling to muddy memories of the past in order to shield ourselves from an uncertain future.

The editorial travels to the most intense war sessions of the mid-1980s in East and West Germany during the Cold War, following a spy agent and a rebel who cross the Berlin Wall, carrying a hint of David Bowie’s attitude in their pockets. We see a shaky world at war — yet the story is set in 2025.

This visual narrative presents a remastered post-punk drama, with two enemies exploring the intersections of war, fashion, and art. It grows from projected wounds to dramatic bruises of creativity.

Covering injuries caused by the violent system, art becomes a band-aid for the injuries inflicted by violent systems, attempting to heal the sadness that permeates modern life. As we write statements and point fingers at one another, we search for paths that are often blocked — like embryos tracing fragile trails through a world fractured by social, territorial, political, and artistic wars.

This is the art of being human — a reflection on creativity under constant observation, where every step, every thought, and every act of expression is watched.

IAN SAMPAIO, creative director