Two cities. Vienna and Paris. Same situation. Took a taxi, heading to the airport. Having a nice conversation with the drivers (one from Afghanistan the other from Tunisia). Same issues aroused. Politics and later, racism. Still, present in our daily life basis. Still we are not fully aware of the real dimension which this causes to other people who suffer silent aggression in our same cities. Lack of empathy? Ignorance? Malice? All this is happening in places which are supposed to be educated and cosmopolitan. Education is the key to solve all these problems, but despite the efforts it seems persistent. Therefore there is a failure in the system.

On the other hand, it is shocking to read the newspapers everyday. Seeing how conflicts around the world are just ignored by some leading “peacemakers”, governments. Part of a hidden agenda?. Otherwise how can we explain what is happening in Palestine just to mention one of many? Sudan? I guess we might know the answer.

The turmoil of conflicts which are now invading the news on the screens of our fancy technological devices has been a recurring issue since I had a memory. These situations replicate and jump from one country to another. The big Economy.

Brazil had a military dictatorship for 20 years which was sleeping among other conflicts in South America. Some of its artists reflected the trauma of a society lacking fundamental rights. Gabriel Borba dedicated a series of beautiful works called “Hymne des vaincus” to all the people who were gone, lost or persecuted during the 70s, 50 years after these works were made they are still touching and relevant.

Today it all gets magnified by the use of social media, and the invisibility of some conflicts of the past would not be possible in the present or perhaps this is not 100% true. The middle eastern crisis is huge and still not part of an urgent agenda which may try to solve these problems.

In the 80s of last Century Martha Araújo made a series of performative clothes which were related to the way we stand in the world. First in a direct way trying to understand how deep the connection is between ourselves as individuals, and also with the social environment we belong to, how we can find a comfortable place for us as people but also how we can relate to others by creating human bonds which help us to act and to relate to each other in order to be a stronger “body” a community which shares and understands that we need to create a collective structure which really supports us.

Among the ruins of the XXth Century emerges the strength and beauty of the works by Rosalind Nashashibi whose vibrant colours jump into our senses closing a sad circle of thoughts. The title of this group of impressive works on paper “A wider Kind of Love” might be the proper epilogue to remind us what is needed to fix the repetitive never-ending tale of humankind.