Seeds of Hate and Hope

28 Nov 2025-17 May 2026

Overview

Seeds of Hate and Hope highlights personal artistic responses to global atrocities, such as genocides, ethnic cleansing, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Through the 20th and 21st centuries artists have witnessed, experienced, and responded to atrocity crimes with powerful and compelling works. This exhibition, featuring works from Mona Hatoum, William Kentridge, Hew Locke, Zoran Mušič, Peter Oloya and Kimberly Fulton Orozco, Indrė Šerpytytė, and more, aims to bring understanding as to why and how these crimes occur, and the ever-present desire to find peace. Focussing on abstract representations, rather than literal or explicit violence, Seeds of Hate and Hope challenges the typical representations of war and ‘trauma porn’ often dispelled through the media. It will reveal the seeds of resilience, both individual and collective, sown during conflict, and highlight how respect for diversity is fundamental in protecting against the dangers of prejudice, hate speech, discrimination and dehumanisation.

Grounded in individual, artistic perspectives, the exhibition looks at mass atrocities across the globe, including the Holocaust, slavery and colonisation, apartheid, and racism. It will develop understandings about several historic events, and their continued impacts today, through works created by renowned artists with either direct lived experience or personal connections to these events. The exhibition aims to deepen understandings about why and how mass atrocities keep happening and what needs to be done to prevent them in the future. This show acknowledges historic injustices, encourages healing, and promotes tolerance and empathy for other people, cultures, religions and identities.

Curated by Tafadzwa Makwabarara, Curator of Cultural Empowerment at the Sainsbury Centre and Jelena Sofronijevic, independent curator, writer and producer of the EMPIRE LINES podcast.