As we scroll through EWK’s drawings, it is clear that the hope for peace has always existed in the world. But the road to the goal has unfortunately not always been straight. Some rulers have broken their peace agreements shortly after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. Others have negotiated peaceful solutions for a while, only to then quickly abandon former partners.
Through EWK’s powerful line, we are thrown straight into events that have made the world hold its breath in fear. The same world that has also seen agreements formed around peace and disarmament. The stories are many about people’s inability to agree. But if there is anything we can take with us from EWK and his visual world, it is that peace on earth is possible.
As a pendant to the exhibition, we also show the United States out of Vietnam – 12 original pictures drawn by EWK between 1966 and 1975. They depict the shattering decade when the United States’ role in the Vietnam War was on everyone’s lips.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Ewert Karlsson (1918-2004), known under the signature EWK, was born in the croft Rävbrinken outside Söderköping. He is Sweden’s most famous political illustrator of all time. He began his professional life as a farmer but was soon discovered as the skilled draftsman he was. In 1951, his dream came true and he moved to Stockholm, where he began a career as a professional cartoonist.
EWK is best known for his satirical cartoons in the newspapers Aftonbladet and Land, but has also been published in prestigious international newspapers such as Le Monde, Der Spiegel, The Observer and The New York Times. He was named world champion in his genre several times. EWK is represented in many museums around the world.
