Award winning exhibition against London arms fair back for A third run 

On 11 September 2021 the award-winning Art the Arms Fair will return to London.  Running until 17 September, the exhibition will coincide with the Defense and Security International (DSEI) arms fair being held at the ExCel Centre.

Art the Arms Fair intends to expose the DSEI arms fair, which is held with the support of the UK Government in London every two years. One of the world’s largest arms fairs, DSEI opens its doors for one reason only - to push for as many arms sales as possible, including to official delegations from countries with poor human rights records and those involved in conflict. Hosting DSEI in London comes as a particular blow after Sadiq Khan’s recent statement opposing it, and in the wake of London’s pledge to house up to 5,000 Afghan refugees.

As the ExCel Centre throws open its doors again to sell weapons, ammunition and tanks, Art the Arms Fair will set up shop across the city in Mayfair selling editions and products by a roster of British and refugee artists, which makes visible the human impact of the UK’s involvement in the arms trade. For the first time Art the Arms Fair will partner with Art Represent, a non-profit dedicated to empowering displaced artists around the world. The three artists from Art Represent participating in this year’s exhibition include Azim Fakhri, also known as Kabul Knight, whose work responds to the recent atrocities in Afghanistan.

SHOP ARTWORKS

The first Art the Arms Fair event took place in 2017. It was widely acclaimed, winning the Observer and Nesta New Radicals Award. It included an original art piece produced by Banksy, Civilian Drone Strike, which sold for £205,000 in aid of Campaign Against the Arms Trade and Reprieve. Art from Art the Arms Fair boutique 2021 will be sold to support the work of Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT).

Ksenya Blokhina, the organiser of this year’s Art the Arms Fair, said: “Most Londoners don’t know that their city plays host to arms dealers or facilitates weapon deals with very real consequences. As the UK welcomes refugees fleeing Afghanistan, Art the Arms Fair aims to harness the power of art to tell the story of the arms trade and its effects on people around the world.