„Kill for Peace“ is the ironic title of a 1966 Vietnam war-era protest song by the New York rock band The Fugs. Alongside their musical activity, its members were known for playing a prominent part in such actions as the attempt to collectively circle the Pentagon and make it levitate with the power of the mind. The latter was a naive pacifist and simultaneously deeply sarcastic act. The idea of this work is similar, as the author is fully aware how naive it is to expect universal peaceful coexistence from the humanking at its current stage of biological and civilisational development. After all, at least one of the warring factions, and usually all of them, does it “for the sake of peace and well-being of its citizens”. The installation employs helmets used by the armies of various countries in different military conflict zones. Perhaps the concept of this work contains less actionist protest and instead an urge to reflect why people – members of the same Homo sapiens genus but of different communities and nations – deal with the chimeras of their past in such contrasting ways. Why some are able to repent and redeem the atrocious past sins of their genetic forebears both financially and, above that, morally, while others are anxious to repeat them. The historical consciousness of a group of people, seemingly a blurred and ungraspable notion, suddenly acquires immense force and erupts through real group actions, causing bloodshed. Can we attribute certain traits or collective responsibility to an entire nation? We know from history how dangerous it is. Yet if it is perfectly natural to feel collective pride for the accomplishments of geniuses, great artists, even athletes of one’s home country, maybe it is just as natural to feel remorse and collective responsibility for the crimes committed by one’s compatriots?

Daisies, poppies, pansies, forget-me-nots… Flowers of war and symbols of remembrance of the perished. He loves me – he loves me not, alive or dead, what should be remembered and what is best forgotten… Rose petals unfold as meat, helmets warped by bomb splinters unfold as metal blossoms. Life goes on. Hæil, life!