What of the eternal harm lurking all around?
Curated by Amin Alsaden

Aug. 14–Oct. 31, 2025
Opening Reception: Thursday, September 25, 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. (remarks at 6 p.m.)

What of the eternal harm lurking all around? examines the ways in which artists, across time and cultures, have depicted war. It orchestrates a dialogue between historical pieces from the McMaster Museum of Art collection and contemporary works by artists from geographies affected by present-day turmoil. Unlike their predecessors, these artists do not merely capture battle scenes and tragic casualties. Instead, they employ nuanced conceptual approaches based on lived experience, raising critical questions about the detrimental legacies of conflict. They emphasize how war evades representation, and elucidate the immense losses, ruptures, and agonies that constitute the reality of the world’s interconnected societies.

This exhibition features works by invited contemporary artists Noor Abed, Haig Aivazian, Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Mona Hatoum, Lamia Joreige, Hussein Nassereddine, and Raeda Saadeh, in dialogue with historical works from the M(M)A collection, by artists Jost Amman, Otto Dix, Albrecht Dürer, Francisco Goya, William Hogarth, Käthe Kollwitz, Pablo Picasso, Georges Rouault, Antonio Tempesta, Joseph Mallord William Turner, Utagawa Yoshiiku, and Ichieisai Yoshitsuya.

For accessibility/accommodations concerns or requests, please email museum@mcmaster.ca