America

Guns Become Art at New Art Basel Exhibit

They used to be deadly weapons but now they're art at a new exhibit at Art Basel.

The exhibition is called 'Guns in the Hands of Artists' and Jonathan Ferrara hopes it leads to conversations rather than heated debates.

"Instead of this screaming match back and forth you're looking at this artwork and you're having a conversation, hopefully a relevant vent and moderate one about this issue of guns and gun violence but through the lens of art," Ferrara said.

Bullets in a gumball machine illustrate the easy access. The piece was made with ringlets sliced from the barrel Of a rifle. The artist's mother was killed by gunfire.

One of the more powerful pieces is six bullet casings lodged in the wall each with a tiny picture on it of the child under six years old who was shot dead in New Orleans.

Thirty artists used about 180 decommissioned guns, all taken off the streets of New Orleans, Ferrara's hometown. Art Enthusiast Ladyane Lopez appreciates the concept.

"This makes it a little bit easier to kind of get into the conversation without it being all about gun control, no gun control, you know," Lopez said.

In light of Wednesday's mass shooting Ferrara was asked if his exhibition is even more relevant now.

"Until we as a society come together to seriously address this epidemic of gun violence in America this exhibition is going to continue to be relevant on an almost daily basis," he said.

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