From Nope to Hope: Art vs Arms, Oil & Injustice

An exhibition of graphic design, craft and grassroots resistance

On July 17 2018, the Design Museum in London hosted an event held by Leonardo, one of the world’s biggest arms companies. The event was held as part of the Farnborough International arms fair.

A group of artists, designers and activists, whose work was being exhibited as part of the Museum’s exhibition Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-18 wrote to the Design Museum asking that their work be removed, and urged the Museum to develop an ethical fundraising policy that would exclude arms, fossil fuel and tobacco company funding.

The Museum was unable to agree to the request, and so on August 2 2018, in an unprecedented action, a third of the show’s artists removed their work from the exhibition. Calling themselves the #NopeToArms Collective, their action attracted significant media interest, fuelling the debate about the ethics of cultural funding.

In September 2018 the collective return, as part of the Brixton Design Trail / London Design Festival, re-showing the majority of the removed work for free — together with a host of extra materials, and work by artists supportive of the collective’s actions.

From Nope to Hope: Art vs Arms, Oil & Injustice displays the work in its activist context. The show is intended to be an inspiration for all – and a rallying cry to anyone who’s ever wanted to stand up to injustice, speak truth to power and make their world a kinder, safer, more beautiful place.

Supported by the Art Not Oil Coalition, Campaign Against Arms Trade and Calverts