Visitors to our exhibition may notice that some of the works have holes in them – some more obvious than others.
Regrettably, M Shed requested that we remove the names of specific arms companies, as well as any representations of individuals associated with them. In response, we literally took a knife to our art and cut out the “offending” material.
As artists committed to highlighting Bristol’s deep entanglement with the arms trade, this leaves us asking a critical question: how can we effectively call out the local companies whose weaponry is being used to commit the ultimate crime of genocide, when our public spaces actively prevent us from doing so?
TIME LINE OF EVENTS
In October 2025 we were asked to be part of a group show for the M Shed as part of Seeta Patel’s ‘Anatomy of solidarity’ project.
We were one of three collectives exhibiting work alongside Latinas in Bristol and Creative Shift.
The Art Against War Club undertook a 6 month process to create a show that explores Bristol’s history and current complicity in wars and weapons exports.
We ask: what does it mean to live in a city that is both a cultural center of arts, activism and community, whilst manufacturing and profiteering from weapons technology and machinery wreaking death and destruction on a global scale.
In the work we directly confront ELBIT SYSTEMS UK LTD the Israeli arms manufacturer who have a site in Filton, Bristol which produces and exports ‘killer drones’ that they have proudly boasted are “battle tested” in Gaza.
Throughout the collective creative process, we maintained good communication with the M Shed, supplying them with everything they requested and the exhibition was signed off at every stage. We submitted written captions and audio descriptions of all works.
On the 9th March we installed the exhibition with the Public Programmes Manager present, who informed us that all pieces had been “flagged and cleared” both verbally and by email with the creative team, and that they were proud to be supporting such “Important work”
The exhibition opened to the public on Tuesday the 10th of March.
On Wednesday 11th, we attended to find the exhibition roped off and the work taken down. A member of staff told us she had been told not to speak to us and that this issue was with the “Bristol City Council’s legal” department.
After a single day of openness to this conversation, the entire exhibition was closed down. This included the work of the other collectives. After a protracted process the censored art work is back up and open to the public.