Art of Peace: Art After War Curtin Symposium, 1-2 February 2025

​What is the art that comes after war?  How do visual artists address the trauma of war and life after conflict? 

In the last thirty years, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda, and Timor-Leste each emerged from different versions of hell on earth, from war, genocide and horror, and the destruction of hundreds of thousands of people.  Yet peace can often be hard work and life in a post-conflict society is very different in each of these countries. 

This symposium, Art of Peace: Art after War in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda and Timor-Leste, brings together three artists from each of these countries to discuss their work in the Art of Peace exhibition, on display from 1 February to 29 June 2025 at the Art Gallery of Western Australia.  

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Artists include:

• Adela Jušić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• Mladen Miljanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina) via video

• Aida Šehović (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• Teta Chel (Rwanda)

• Cedric Mizero (Rwanda)

• Innocent Nkurunziza (Rwanda)

• Inu Bere (Timor-Leste)

• Dr Maria Madeira (Timor-Leste)

• Bernardino Soares (Timor-Leste)

CONTENT WARNING: Attendees are warned that the symposium includes topics that visitors may find distressing, including war, genocide, violence and sexual violence.  If these topics raise issues, please call Lifeline Australia 13 11 14.

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Day 1: Saturday 1 February 2025

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9:30am Registration

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10:00am Session 1: 10:00 AM - 10:45 AM

Introduction: Art of Peace

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• Prof Kit Messham-Muir (Curtin)

• Assoc Prof Sarah Minslow (Cal State LA)

• Dr Vannesa Hearman (Curtin)

Researchers from the Art of Peace project from the three teams that travelled to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Rwanda and Timor-Leste introduce the work of the Art of Peace project.

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10.45am Morning Tea/Coffee Break

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11:15am Session 2: 11:15 AM - 12:45 PM

Art of Peace: Timor Leste

Chair: Naldo Rei (Timor-Leste)

• Inu Bere (Timor-Leste)

• Dr Maria Madeira (Timor-Leste)

• Bernardino Soares (Timor-Leste)

Presentations followed by Questions and Discussion

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The artists from Timor-Leste featured in the Art of Peace exhibition discuss their work. 

12.45pm Lunch (provided)

1:45pm Session 3: 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM

Art of Peace: Rwanda

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Chair: Talia Lieber (UCLA)

• Teta Chel (Rwanda) via video

• Cedric Mizero (Rwanda)

• Innocent Nkurunziza (Rwanda) via video

Presentations followed by Questions and Discussion

The artists from Rwanda featured in the Art of Peace exhibition discuss their work. 

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3:15pm: Session 4: 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM

Art of Peace: Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Chair: A/Prof Uroš Čvoro (University of New South Wales) via video

• Adela Jušić (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• Mladen Miljanović (Bosnia and Herzegovina) via video

• Aida Šehović (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Presentations followed by Questions and Discussion

The artists from Bosnia and Herzegovina featured in the Art of Peace exhibition discuss their work. 

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4.45pm: End

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Day 2: Sunday 2 February 2025

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9.30am Arrival

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10:00am Session 5: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
The Art of Peace Exhibition: Curators’ and Artists’ Responses

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Chair: Dr Ana Dević (Aix-Marseille University )

• Robert Cook (Art of Peace co-curator, Art Gallery of Western Australia)

• Prof Kit Messham-Muir (Art of Peace co-curator, Curtin)

• Cedric Mizero (Art of Peace exhibiting artist, Rwanda)

• Aida Šehović (Art of Peace exhibiting artist, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

• Dr Maria Madeira (Art of Peace exhibiting artist, Timor-Leste)

• Bahar Sayed (Art of Peace co-curator, independent curator)

Presentations followed by Questions and Discussion

The curators and exhibiting artists of the Art of Peace exhibition discuss the exhibition with the project lead

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11:00am Coffee break

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11:30am Session 6: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Carrolup Tour: Curtin University's Carrolup Collection at the John Curtin Gallery, Curtin University

• A/Prof Susanna Castleden

• Ron Bradfield Jnr

The Carrolup Collection is a collection of art by children taken from their families and detained at the Carrolup Native Settlement in Western Australia’s Great Southern region. Carrolup was part of Australia's brutal policy of forced segregation and assimilation, aimed at removing lighter-skinned children from their parents.  It was designed to breed out the Aboriginal population over time.

12.30pm Lunch (provided)

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2:00pm Session 7: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM

Western War Art: Past, Present and Future

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Chair: Dr Wulan Dirgantoro (University of Melbourne) 

• Prof Charles Green (University of Melbourne)

• Lyndell Brown (artist)

• Emeritus Prof Jon Cattapan (University of Melbourne)

Presentation followed by Questions and Discussion

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Leading Australian artists and former Australian Official War Artists, Lyndell Brown, Charles Green and Jon Cattapan, discuss the role of the Western war artist in overseas conflicts. 

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3:30pm Session 8: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

The Generation After

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Chair: Laura Kevan (Curtin)

• Inu Bere (Timor-Leste)

• Teta Chel (Rwanda) via video

• Milena Ivić (Bosnia and Herzegovina) via video

Presentation followed by Questions and Discussion

Post-conflict artists exhibiting in the Art of Peace exhibition discuss art, culture and life today in Rwanda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Timor-Leste

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4:30pm Session 9: 4:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Remembering Paul Lowe

Prof Kit Messham-Muir (Curtin)

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A tribute to the life and work of our colleague Prof Paul Lowe (University of the Arts London), Art of Peace researcher and acclaimed war photographer who brought the world images from the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as Rwanda, Somalia and other conflicts

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4:45pm: End

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