"Living in peace is not something that should be taken for granted. I felt the need to share this awareness of peace with the public. Rather than explaining it, I wanted to create a way for people to experience peace for themselves. That is THE MIRROR OF PEACE.”
Berlin-based Dutch artist Renee van Bavel explores themes such as peace, humanity, freedom, and democracy. She encourages viewers to engage with these ideas on a personal level. Her immersive artwork, The Mirror of Peace, is an example of this approach. As part of the special exhibitions at the Global Heart Summit in Ljubljana (June 15 to 27, 2025), the piece offered viewers a life-size reflection of themselves alongside the statement: "This is what people who live in peace look like." It is a powerful reminder not to take peace for granted, urging us to consciously preserve and nurture it daily.
"The Mirror of Peace" was previously exhibited in 2022 as part of the 59th Venice Biennale and in 2023 for the 375th anniversary of the Peace of Westphalia in Münster and Osnabrück.
These exhibitions reinforced the artwork's powerful message and appealed to audiences in different cultural and historical contexts. A version of The Mirror of Peace can also be found in the garden area of the Draiflessen Collection in Mettingen, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Renee van Bavel
“Through my work for various memorial sites and commemoration services in Germany and the Netherlands, I have met many people for whom the words ‘war’ and ‘peace’ have a vivid meaning. These encounters have made me very aware that I live in peace and that this should not be taken for granted. This process has ignited in me the need to share this ‘peace consciousness’ with the public. Not by explaining it, but by creating a form that enables people to experience it for themselves. That is THE MIRROR OF PEACE."
