Eyewitness

Please note that this exhibition has now closed. It took place from 20 September 2025 to 15 February 2026.

Why are people across the world so fascinated by the dramatisation of killing? From Shakespearean tragedy to Hitchcock’s Psycho, the spectacle of violence is central to performance traditions around the world. Through an exploration of historical and contemporary works by international artists, grappling with the horrors of homicide, Eyewitness considered how violent stage and screen narratives can invite questions about our own morality, cultural codes and religious beliefs.

From hand-operated glove puppets to the sophisticated technology of large productions, the materiality of performance can provide an entry point for viewers to discuss how frameworks of justice and ethics are established by societies. What effect does witnessing so much violence in our daily lives have?

Curated by Vanessa Tothill, Curator of Transhistorical Narratives at the Sainsbury Centre.

This exhibition was part of our 2025 season Can We Stop Killing Each Other?

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