An exhibition titled "American Inquisition" opened in mid-March at No Place Gallery, an artist-run space in Columbus, Ohio. Featuring paintings by Shiva Addanki and Nikholis Planck, the show draws its name from a statement by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine supporting detained activist Mahmoud Khalil, and its critical framework from Mike Davis's book "Buda's Wagon." Addanki's works depict scenes of US imperial violence, including downed drones and counterinsurgents at detention centers, while Planck's paintings map extractive infrastructure, subverting traditional landscape painting with industrial detritus and petroleum tankers.
This exhibition matters because it directly confronts the paranoic security politics of the American empire, using art to articulate dissent during a period of widespread fear and censorship. By invoking historical and contemporary acts of imperial aggression—from the 1953 CIA coup in Iran to ongoing threats against Gaza and Iran—the show demonstrates how visual art can speak truth to power when other forms of expression are suppressed. It underscores the enduring role of artist-run spaces in fostering critical dialogue about state violence and colonial legacies.