Guantánamo prisoner art sparks Pentagon controversy over destruction

Ode to the Sea: Art from Guantánamo Bay, an exhibition at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, presents 36 paintings and sculptures created by current and former detainees of the U.S. prison camp at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The show, curated by criminal art professor Erin Thompson with Paige Laino and Charles Shields, opened October 2 and aims to humanize detainees and critique indefinite detention. Works were vetted by military censors, many bearing 'approved by US forces' stamps. Controversy erupted when the Department of Defense reportedly planned to close the exhibition early and incinerate the artworks, citing that the pieces are U.S. government property and objecting to an email on the exhibition website offering sales of works by released detainees. The Pentagon's stance sparked online petitions and media backlash, comparing destruction of art to fascist regimes. In response, the military is now considering archiving and cataloging the artifacts instead of burning them. The art program at Guantánamo was initiated under the Obama administration to provide intellectual stimulation. Most works depict the ocean and its symbolic meaning for prisoners. Thompson noted that in the Trump era, the exhibition has taken on an activist purpose, highlighting the harms of indefinite detention.