AKA Peace

AKA Peace began with Bran Symondson’s experiences as a soldier in Afghanistan. What he witnessed there, and later documented through his photography, became the foundation for an exhibition that brought together some of contemporary art’s most recognised names.

The idea began in Afghanistan

While serving alongside the Afghan National Police, Bran noticed a striking contrast: men decorating their AK-47 rifles with flowers and colourful stickers. A weapon associated with violence had become a deeply personal object, carrying unexpected expressions of beauty.

Bran explored this world through his photographic exhibition, The Best View of Heaven Is From Hell. Those experiences prompted a question that would shape his artistic practice: could a weapon’s meaning be transformed through art?

In 2011, he conceived AKA Peace.

Conceived and initiated by Bran

Bran established the project’s central idea: invite artists to transform genuine, decommissioned AK-47 rifles into original artworks, challenging the meaning of one of the world’s most recognisable symbols of conflict.

He sourced the weapons and laid the foundations for the exhibition, turning an idea rooted in his own experience into a practical project. Bran then brought Jake Chapman into the initiative as curator. Chapman helped assemble the participating artists, each approaching the same object through their own creative language.

Contributors included:

• Damien Hirst
• Antony Gormley
• Sam Taylor-Wood
• Gavin Turk
• Sarah Lucas
• Marc Quinn
• Jake and Dinos Chapman
• Bran Symondson

The resulting works ranged from provocative to contemplative, revealing how radically an object’s meaning could change in the hands of an artist.

An exhibition with a purpose

Presented at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts in September 2012, AKA Peace supported Peace One Day and its work to promote an annual day of ceasefire and non-violence.

The artworks were subsequently auctioned at Phillips de Pury & Company in London on 4 October 2012. The project raised £417,000, with proceeds supporting Peace One Day’s Global Truce 2013 campaign.

A lasting foundation

AKA Peace marked a defining step in Bran’s journey from soldier and photographer to artist.

His experiences provided the inspiration; his initiative established the project. Through the contributions of the participating artists, that personal vision became a collective statement about conflict, transformation and the possibility of peace.