RENEE VAN BAVEL – THE MIRROR OF PEACE
THE MIRROR OF PEACE is a spatial work of art that invites the viewer to have their personal experience with peace: The viewers see themselves full size reflected and read a text saying: “This is what people living in peace look like.” It becomes instantly clear that a life lived in peace cannot be taken for granted, and that we must act consciously—every day—to preserve this peace.
THE MIRROR OF PEACE @ BIENNALE ARTE VENICE 2022
THE MIRROR OF PEACE was presented during the Biennale Arte 2022 in Venice.
The presentation THE MIRROR OF PEACE on the occasion of the Biennale Arte 2022 in Venice was a project of The Draiflessen Collection in collaboration with Abbazia di San Giorgio Maggiore – Benedicti Claustra Onlus.
The opening of THE MIRROR OF PEACE at the Biennale Arte in Venice took place on 21 May 2022, and THE MIRROR OF PEACE could be viewed in the monastery garden of the Abbazia San Giorgio Maggiore until the and of October 2022.
THE MIRROR OF PEACE is an interactive work of art and it invites you to a moment of self-reflection. Because you see yourself in the work, you know a part of the work and you immediately connect with it. This brings the theme of peace very close and establishes a direct connection with your own life.
THE MIRROR OF PEACE is communicative work of art: people who face each other in front of THE MIRROR OF PEACE, get into dialogue with each other.
THE MIRROR OF PEACE sheds light on a difficult and urgent subject in an accessible and positive way.
All these qualities make THE MIRROR OF PEACE accessible to a broad audience and connect the society in all its diversity, regardless of borders, gender, origin, religion, social backgrounds and age.
THE MIRROR OF PEACE @ Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen in Germany
After The Draiflessen Collection presented THE MIRROR OF PEACE at the Biennale Arte in 2022, The Draiflessen Collection included the artwork in its art collection, and THE MIRROR OF PEACE now stands in the museum garden of The Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen, Germany.
Visitors can view THE MIRROR OF PEACE at The Draiflessen Collection Museumsgarden, during the museum’s opening hours. For more information, please visit: www.draiflessen.com
THE MIRROR OF PEACE @ The National Field of Honour in The Netherlands
The first version of THE MIRROR OF PEACE stands on the National Field of Honour in Loenen, in the Netherlands and was inaugurated by King Willem-Alexander in 2021.
“Through my work for various memorial sites and foundations in Germany and the Netherlands, I have met many people for whom the words war and peace have a vivid meaning. These encounters have made me very aware that I live in peace and that this should not be taken for granted. This process has ignited a urge to share this consciousness of peace with the public. Not by explaining it, but by creating a form that enables people to experience it for themselves. That is THE MIRROR OF PEACE.
It is my intention to place more versions of THE MIRROR OF PEACE in different countries around the world in order to create awareness: Peace can not be taken for granted.”
RENEE VAN BAVEL