What role can art play when images of war no longer move us? In a world where violence persists in Gaza, Ukraine and Lebanon, while everyday life continues elsewhere, the constant repetition of images and the silence of diplomacy and bureaucracy seem to contribute to a growing desensitisation to suffering.

The launch of In the Absence of Bombs, edited by Pascal Gielen and Bahia Shehab and published by Valiz as part of the Antennae – Arts in Society series, brings together Pascal Gielen and sociologist Lígia Ferro to reflect on the role of art in the face of war, violence and indifference. Bringing together artistic, social and political perspectives, the book features voices from Palestine, Lebanon, Ukraine, Syria, Egypt and Europe, exploring the possibilities of bearing witness to violence, processing grief and developing forms of resistance.

Drawing on research and first-hand experience in contexts of war, Pascal Gielen proposes an understanding of art that resists both the transformation of suffering into spectacle and complacent neutrality: a practice of attentiveness, capable of forging connections, sustaining care and turning what violence seeks to isolate into a collective experience.

Moderated by Lígia Ferro, the conversation opens up a space for reflection on the relationships between art and society, ways of seeing and bearing witness to war, and the possibility of transforming grief into political action, at a time when continuing to feel, to care and to reject indifference becomes, in itself, a form of resistance.