With the cancellation of Lake Light Scultpure’s normal event this year, due to the high water levels of Lake Jindabyne, the Lake Light committee are instead bringing a range of cultural events to our region throughout the year.

Following on from the recent success of the screening of Leonard’s Beautiful Pictures at Lake Crackenback last month, they now present Can Art Stop a Bullet at Jindabyne Cinema on 26 May.

Artist William Kelly, widely considered the social conscience of Australian art, once said: “Art can’t stop a bullet, but it can stop a bullet from being fired.” Filmed on five continents, with contributions from over 20 artists, thinkers and activists, this documentary explores the power of art to influence the violence in the world.

The film documents the creation of Kelly’s monumental artwork “Peace or War/The Big Picture”. It is a tapestry of history and art, drawn from major artworks and photos from the defining conflicts of their times.

This immense visual collage allows the audience to navigate through time and place, meeting survivors of these horrific moments in history and the artists who have created work commenting on these periods, some of which have become iconic.

Through Kelly’s drawings, the audience is transported to the concentration camps of the Third Reich, the bombing of Hiroshima, “the troubles” in Ireland, the race riots in the US and Pol Pot’s Year Zero. Interwoven with archival footage of these cataclysmic events, the audience is invited to visit anti-war and anti-gun demonstrations today, events that call for similar injustices to be stopped.

The screening of Can Art Stop a Bullet takes place at 6.15pm on Thursday 26 May at Jindabyne Cinema. Ticket includes a pre-show drink at Parc at 5pm, as well as the post-show Q&A session with members of the film’s crew, artist Ben Eyles and the Anu School of Art and Design’s Emeritus Professor Denise Ferris.

Tickets can be purchased from www.lakelightsculpture.com.au. Book now, as dedicated numbers are required for this event to go ahead.

Image: Artist Wiliam Kelly