War & Peace

This work is a signed poster for Blek le Rat's "War & Peace" exhibition, held in 2024 at London's Woodbury House gallery. It features a stencil of a soldier carrying a child in his arms. The collection, which includes over 50 previously unseen works between paintings and prints, immerses visitors in the artist's intimate reflections on war, shaped by his childhood in post-World War II France. "War has always been a constant presence in my life, an indelible obsession," he confides. The exhibition takes its name from Leo Tolstoy's epic work, and explores the duality of human existence - between security and precariousness, harmony and antagonism. Blek admits to being "both fascinated and repulsed by war", a sentiment that shines through in his work. Drawing inspiration from the history of conflict, from medieval to modern times, Blek seeks to depict the pointless sacrifice that he believes characterizes the human condition.