A Troubled Examination of Violence: “Can We Stop Killing Each Other?” at the Sainsbury Center
The Sainsbury Centre’s aspiring exhibition, “Can We Stop Killing Each Other?”, grapples with a monumental question. It attempts to connect art, cinema, and global cultural forms to the pervasive issue of violence.However, despite its weighty premise, the show ultimately feels disjointed and, at times, surprisingly irrelevant.
The core challenge, as the curators seemingly recognized, is how to present images of violence without inadvertently sensationalizing or even gratifying a desire for the shocking. Sadly, the exhibition largely fails to navigate this ethical tightrope, frequently enough leaning into the vrey spectacle it truly seems to critique.
A Stark Juxtaposition of Brutality and…Puppets?
Consider the jarring juxtaposition of William Hogarth’s “Four Stages of Cruelty” prints. These 18th-century engravings unflinchingly depict a descent into brutality, culminating in a gruesome public dissection. They are powerfully placed alongside Mat Collishaw‘s photographs of death row inmates’ last meals.
Collishaw’s reconstructions,presented like Dutch still lifes,possess a devastating pathos. They offer a poignant glimpse into the final choices of individuals facing execution. Yet, this impactful pairing is followed by a perplexing detour into Indian puppet theater and, even more bafflingly, a display of Punch and Judy puppets.
It’s difficult to understand how these elements meaningfully contribute to an exploration of violence. This shift feels arbitrary and undermines the exhibition’s initial momentum.
Lost in Translation: Shakespeare and Beyond
Further complicating matters is a section dedicated to Shakespeare. It features cardboard cutouts, toy theatres, and unremarkable Victorian paintings. These items feel disconnected from the exhibition’s central theme. You’re left wondering what purpose they serve beyond a superficial association with tragic narratives.
The exhibition briefly regains focus with Christian Marclay’s video installation, “Crossfire.” You are immersed in a cacophony of Hollywood gunfire, surrounded by screens displaying countless shooting scenes. Though, framing this as a condemnation of Hollywood violence feels somewhat reductive.
Marclay’s work strips the context from these scenes, rendering them comically absurd. But does movie violence always lack meaning? as Shakespeare demonstrates, violence can be a powerful tool for dramatic effect and exploring profound truths.
indeed, you’d likely gain a deeper understanding of human evil by watching a film like Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas” – a work Marclay ironically samples – than by experiencing this decontextualized barrage of cinematic gunfire.
A Disconnected Finale
The exhibition concludes with a display of paintings by Ethiopian artist Tesfaye urgessa. While his work is undeniably impassioned,it feels entirely unrelated to the theme of violence. Wall texts attempt to forge a connection, but by this point, the exhibition’s overarching vision feels like a megalomaniacal attempt to solve global problems with theatrical props.
Ultimately, ”Can We Stop Killing Each Other?” feels utterly bonkers and ultimately unsatisfying. it raises crucial questions but fails to provide compelling answers.
“Can We Stop Killing Each Other?” is at the sainsbury Centre, Norwich, until 17 May 2026.
