Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center Pleads for Peace through War Photos from the Last Century

Due to the unprecedented rise in the number of worldwide conflicts, the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center launches a campaign that shows how today's state of war is far more similar to our dark past than most would think.

The pan-European print and out-of-home campaign uses images taken in the last century by the worldwide praised and recognised war photographer Robert Capa, but specifically chooses to show the ones that transcend time and can be mistaken for pictures of ongoing conflicts.

It becomes evident how the campaign refers to the beliefs and ideas that the Hungarian photographer had for a world free of war. As once said by Capa himself, "I hope to stay unemployed as a war photographer till the end of my life."

Describing the rationale behind the "Capa vs War" concept and the impactful message of the campaign, Gabriel Mattar, European CCO of Innocean Worldwide, said, "Our partnership with the Robert Capa Contemporary Photography Center is based on looking at the world with the same curiosity and courage Capa did himself. So, for Capa vs War, we hope to make people think and feel something when looking at these ads. Because even though Capa shot the original pictures displayed in the ads more than 80 years ago, they could all sadly have been taken today. And that made us all wonder that war has been contemporary for too long."

 Kőrösi Orsolya, Capa Center managing director, commented, "Through his images, Robert Capa didn't just portray the horrors of war; he illuminated the universal desire for peace and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity. His work served as a touching reminder that peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of understanding, empathy, and hope. This is why we stand so firmly behind this campaign. It resonates with Capa's beliefs, which are universal and timeless."

With the stunning visuals and images provided by the Hungarian institute, the Berlin-based agency crafted four prints and posters that utilise headlines to point out the visual ambiguity between past wars and current wars while also voicing a demand for peace.

The assets will be displayed across Europe during the first quarter of 2024 – a crucial moment considering the 183 armed conflicts that took place in 2023.