A new exhibition will explore the human impact of the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Eighteen paintings by portrait artist Colin Davidson reveal the person stories of individual who experienced loss during the turbulent 30-year period.
The Silent Testimony exhibition looks to strip away religious or political affiliations to tell the human story of the suffering. The works include relatives of those killed in attacks in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and mainland Britain.
Mr Davidson said: “The Belfast Agreement of Good Friday 1998 coincided with clamour for a communal moving-on and that the dark, murky, terrifying decades known as the Troubles could be put behind us.
“All hoped that the daily killings and bombings would stop, gruesome massacres would cease, and life would at long last be normal.
“However, time is unable to heal all wounds and the suffering of those who lost loved ones was not banished with the signing of the agreement, instead leaving many with questions that they now knew would forever go unanswered.
“Whilst identity or ‘label’ is buried in the paint, it is my hope that the stories are not.
“These 18 paintings capture the shared sense of loss between these individuals, despite their very different stories. They represent the many thousands of stories of people who suffered during this brutal period of conflict that ravaged this small part of the world for decades.”
Silent Testimony has previously been shown at the Ulster Museum in Belfast, the Centre Culturel Irlandais Paris, Dublin Castle, the Nerve Visual Gallery in Derry and the United Nations in New York.
Silent Testimony is a free to enter exhibition and is on display until 1st September.
Chris Ansell, exhibitions officer at the National Memorial Arboretum, said: “This evocative exhibition provides a window into the suffering of those who lost loved ones during the troubles.
“The series of 18 portraits results in an intriguing and emotive showcase of stories that demonstrate how conflict cuts across communities without care for identity, leaving suffering in its wake.
“The Arboretum continues to develop its cultural programme and it’s a terrific endorsement of our efforts to date that an artist of Colin Davidson’s stature has agreed to exhibit.
“We look forward to welcoming thousands of people to engage with his work.”
