War: Reality, Myth and Fiction brings together a group of works from the MACAM collection by artists of different nationalities and generations, and offers a reflection on the concepts of truth and reality, mythology and fiction, promoting open dialogues that encompass and question both past and future. In an atmosphere marked by the warlike visuals of death and destruction, it makes explicit and simultaneously exalts the vulnerability and fragility of life. It also seeks to establish a relationship between visual language and written language, imagination based on mythological and fictional narratives that develop within the real, as well as the richness and limitation of myths and beliefs.

Through the interplay of appearances and temporal references that interweave memories, it highlights the crucial role of art in pondering, questioning and creating peace in the world. Hence the inexorability of creative potential, which using diverse media, supports and forms – painting, sculpture, video and installation – exhibits that which surrounds us, intensifying it with profound sensitivity. Art, synonymous with a fundamental commitment to freedom and the expression of authenticity, is a symbol of openness and fresh perspectives and a platform for the creation of empathy.

Carolina Quintela