Juror Statement:
Daniel Esquivia Zapata, Juror
I was honored to be invited to curate this exhibition for the Dayton Society of Artists, which explores the complex and often elusive nature of peace. Peace is not a simple concept to define. While many understand it as the absence of violence, conflict, or war, from my perspective, this definition often falls short, especially for those of us who have experienced or lived close to violence.
I believe peace is not just the absence of harm but an active, ongoing process; a pursuit of balance where, individually and collectively, we have the rights and opportunities to exist, grow, and thrive without destruction. In this sense, peace is something we constantly build, maintain, and aspire to. It is a fragile equilibrium that must be nurtured and kept alive.
With this broader, process-oriented perspective in mind, I curated the exhibition by looking for visual languages that speak to this balance: works that illustrate efforts to create harmony amid imbalance or destruction. For example, Turmoil into Peace and Thought This Would Be Easier present compelling visual metaphors for the emotional and physical struggle of searching for that balance. Both pieces reflect deterioration and fragmentation, yet also the emergence of something new: hope, movement, or resolution.
Another great example, Peace Squawks, highlights the exhaustion and complexity of navigating conflicting narratives; a relevant and pressing issue in our current global climate. Like these, many of the artworks in this exhibition explore peace as layered, difficult, and deeply interrelational.
In a time when our world feels increasingly fractured—both nationally and internationally—this exhibition invites reflection on what peace really means. It asks us to consider not only what peace looks like but also how it can be made real through effort, empathy, and intention.
PEACE TALKS
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sisters: a cyanotype series by suzi hyden
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