Peaceful Resistance Through Expression — 3D Virtual Gallery by Ella Weyhrauch

Artworks in this gallery

• blob (2026) — We have been taught throughout history that resistance means violence. We were taught in school about wars, see in the media the violent protests, and observe how violence is often thought of as the first answer. We rarely see communication on differing sides or the expressions of emotion. Peaceful resistance demonstrates power through ideas and actions, rather than through fighting and aggression. ​ Novelist Elif Shafak spells it out beautifully when she said, “We tend to form clusters based on similarity, and then we produce stereotypes about other clusters of people. In my opinion, one way of transcending these cultural ghettos is through the art of storytelling.” The only way we can change the narratives about us and the changes in the world around us is by telling our story by fighting through art, not fighting against each other. I want my exhibition to feel like a journey through history. I want the viewer to feel as if they are traveling through a time machine and to feel the weight of different political and social issues. This starts with the representation of a woman who went against all social norms. ​ Daphne by Harriet Hosmer, 1854: This sculpture was created by a woman in the 1850s. At this time, women were not allowed to have formal training, and men dominated the art scene. The mere creation of the sculpture shows resistance against cultural ideas that diminished women. Donald Moffett , He Kills Me, 1987: Represents the death of many people during the AIDS crisis. Rather than providing funding for research, political leaders decided to point fingers and dehumanize those in need. That dehumanization has had a lasting impact on today's culture. Barbara Kruger Untitled (Your Body Is a Battle Ground), 1989: Kruger created this in support of the Women’s March on Washington. This work highlights that, as women, their bodies alone are a battleground. There is no need for additional violence when so much is already put on them. This is the same representation of a woman that Hosmer used; there is a representation of a woman where one was not welcome. This piece is timeless; women continue to gain power thirty-six years later. Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn (1995) by Ai Weiwei: This is a symbol of political destruction. Some context is needed here; however, we get the message of destruction that is both powerful and non-violent. Love is in the Air, Banksy, 2003: This painting promotes peaceful acts by changing a violent one into something sincere and giving. This calls for others to do the same. This painting depicts that instead of throwing objects in the hopes of harm, we should throw them in the hopes of love. ​
• Harriet Hosmer, Daphne 1854, Marble — This sculpture depicts a woman who is gazing downward with realistic features. She is wrapped in leaves at the base of her breasts with her hair pulled back. Hosmer created a sculpture during a time when women had little to no space in the art world. She created a realistic image of a woman; she was able to do so because of her formal education, which many women were not allowed to pursue. The story being depicted is one of a woman who chose to become a transformed figure rather than submit to men, symbolized by the Greek Mythology, the story of Daphne escaping Apollo. Realism is observed in the leaves and Daphne’s hair, along with the realistic proportions. All of which highlights women's beauty in a time of defiance. Both the artist and the story behind the women depicted as a statue, resisted traditional values of women submitting to men. Both of these women chose to not fight back by violence, rather with intelligence and creativity. The question that needs to be answered is: can resilience be shown through art because of the artist’s story alone?
• Donald Moffett, He Kills Me 1987, Lithograph — He Kills Me depicts a split lithograph with one side showing circles that create a target, and the other showing Ronald Reagan. Moffett used bold lines and colors to grab a viewer’s attention and pull their eyes to the center of the painting, just like a target. He used the face of the person who is in charge of people’s lives to show that there is one person who has all the power to decide the fate of people’s lives. This emphasizes that even though we may be politically disconnected from people at the top, that does not mean they are not affecting the lives of those we love. Moffett’s personal connection to the AIDS epidemic adds to the phrase “he kills me”. This means both literally in the sense that Reagan’s decision not to fund research that could lead to his death. This phrase is impactful both literally and emotionally. Those that he loves are dying, while he emotionally dies. Ronald Reagan is not depicted as a strong leader, which many presidential paintings do. Rather, it shows the president as a cold man who laughs in the faces of those he has taken life from. Moffett chose to use bold words and lines rather than forceful violence even though violence was being put onto him, he gave a face to the political structures that were affecting millions. Were the same forces and ideologies at play in both Hosmer’s and Moffett’s lives?
• Barbara Kruger, Untitled (Your body is a battleground) 1989, 1989 — This presents a black and white photograph of a woman that is split down the middle. On the left side, the image is positive, while the right side reverses it as a negative. Across the photograph reads, in white lettering surrounded by a red box, “ your body is a battleground.” The red boxes and bold text grab the viewer’s attention. Created in 1989 for the Women’s March on Washington, we see the ongoing battle women face over their bodies. Using the word “battleground” highlights the metaphorical war that has been continuing for decades, and is still being fought. Women are meant to view this as inspiration to keep fighting back by representing, because women being there alone is enough of a fight. Kruger’s work showed that women are constantly fighting for space and autonomy, just as Hosmer had. One can see that this is truly a war, with the word ‘battleground’. However, this is not violent and rather inspires others to create and come together.
• Ai Weiwei, Dropping a Han Dynasty Urn 1995, gelatin silver prints — The three-panel black and white photographs show the progression through the dropping of a pottery urn. Ai Weiwei is in the center of the image, and as the photographs progress, he stays in the same position. Ai Weiwei is a political artist who questions the government and long-held historical values. The destruction of the urn is not just meant to show the destruction of the object itself, rather breaking the system that defines significance. This is the same political system that has silenced those in China for decades. This suggests that people have the power to question their government and resist authority by also engaging in non-violent protest. Ai Weiwei is being defiant and using himself to figuratively break the dynasty that did not allow for voices to be heard. Here, he is questioning the influence of historical values. One can no help but wonder, is resisting historical values also resisting values that burden us today?

About the creator

Ella Weyhrauch on Galerra