A cacophony of brightly coloured words tumble over one another. Within the jumble of letters, the phrases ‘How cruel are you’ and ‘How are you cruel’ emerge (‘How’ in pink, ‘cruel’ in yellow, ‘are you’ in light blue).
The question put to us here is how, through both big and small choices, are we complicit to everyday cruelty.
Cruelty does not only come from deliberate actions. It is fluid, present in everyday choices: looking the other way, normalising, accepting, or facilitating systems that legitimise cruelty. Because we are silent, comply, and do not dare to ask how our own behaviour contributes to a society in which cruelty can thrive.
Related work: 'Anarkins bluff'and 'Liquid modernity‘.
Features and specifications
Title: On Cruelty
Year: 2025
Software: Affinity Designer
Process: Inkjet printing
Material: Acrylic plate
Dimensions: 90×90 cm