The University of Illinois Springfield Visual Arts Gallery is pleased to present “A Radical Turn,” an exhibition featuring the work of artist, curator and anti-war veteran Aaron Hughes. The exhibition opens Oct. 13 and runs through Nov. 20, 2025.
In conjunction with this exhibition, the artist will present an Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) Speaker Series lecture from 6 to 7 p.m. on Oct. 22 in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library. Hughes’ lecture, “A Radical Turn: Artist, Curator and Anti-War Veteran Aaron Hughes on Creative Resistance,” will explore how art can help us understand complex histories, connect with others and take action for a better world. Hughes' work encourages reflection on the cost of war and the power of community, dialogue, and creative resistance.
Immediately following this lecture, the UIS Visual Arts Gallery will host an exhibition reception for “A Radical Turn” from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the UIS Visual Arts Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.
Through original works and a selection of archival materials, “A Radical Turn” celebrates the legacy of anti-war veteran activism and GI resistance. The featured works highlight veterans’ radical turn from militarism towards solidarity, proposing new alignments rooted in the shared experience of oppression and the collective struggle for freedom and democracy.
Aaron Hughes is an artist, curator, organizer and anti-war veteran. Working through an interdisciplinary practice rooted in drawing and printmaking, Hughes works collaboratively to create meaning out of personal and collective trauma, transform systems of oppression and seek liberation. He develops projects that utilize popular research strategies, experiment with forms of direct democracy and operate in solidarity with the people most impacted by structural violence.
His work has appeared in venues worldwide including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Maruki Gallery in Tokyo, Ashkal Alwan in Beirut and the School of Visual Arts Museum in New York. He has received a number of awards, grants, residencies and fellowships from a variety of institutions, including the Center for Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, Illinois Humanities, Ashkal Alwan, Blue Mountain Center, Lawrence Arts Center, Links Hall, The Kitchen and Penland School of Craft.
Hughes works with a range of art and activist groups, including Justseeds Artists' Cooperative, About Face: Veterans Against the War, the emerging Veteran Art Movement and Prison + Neighborhood Arts/Education Project. He lives and works in Chicago.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery has a strong tradition of presenting thought-provoking exhibitions that engage with urgent cultural and political questions. Past exhibitions have brought nationally and internationally recognized artists to Springfield, generating dialogue on issues ranging from democracy to identity to social justice. “A Radical Turn” continues this tradition by foregrounding voices often excluded from dominant narratives and to create a space for reflection, dialogue and collective imagination.
The UIS Visual Arts Gallery is centrally located on the UIS campus in the Health and Sciences Building, room 201 (HSB 201). Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. For more information and future exhibitions, visit the UIS Visual Arts Gallery website.