'Pedro Reyes: Ahimsa' at Perlman Teaching Museum, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, USA
10 September 2025
From 24 September – 19 November 2025, Carleton College presents 'Ahimsa', a new exhibition of works by Pedro Reyes. The Sanskrit word Ahimsa, meaning “nonviolence” in the ancient language of Hindu and Buddhist texts, is a principle at the heart of this solo exhibition by Mexican artist Pedro Reyes. Reyes transforms weapons of violence into tools for peace, protest, and community action. The Kaemmer Family Gallery displays musical instruments built from repurposed firearms and Palas por Pistolas (Shovels for Guns) (2006), in which 1,527 surrendered guns were recast as shovels to plant 1,527 trees— a testament to Reyes’ commitment to poetic and practical action.
In the Baucher Gallery, Reyes’ global advocacy for nuclear disarmament comes into focus through Artists Against the Bomb, an international initiative supporting the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, and the monumental inflatable Zero Nukes I (2021), a mushroom cloud emblazoned with the call “ZERO NUCLEAR WEAPONS” in eight languages. Together, these artworks invite visitors to consider the global culture of militarization, the normalization of weapons, and the systems — whether political, economic, or cultural — that allow violence to persist. Just as urgently, Reyes offers imagined pathways toward healing, solidarity, and a safer, more just future.
Find out more via Carleton College.
Image: Pedro Reyes, Disarm Guitar TBC, 2024, Recycled metal, 89.5 x 39 x 6 cm © Pedro Reyes. Courtesy Lisson Gallery.
