Last week in Washington, D.C., artists mounted a series of provocative public displays addressing war, authoritarianism, and political controversies surrounding President Donald Trump’s administration. The events underscore a growing trend of guerrilla art interventions taking place in the nation’s capital and beyond, where street-level expressions function as both political protest and commentary on freedom of speech.

Renowned Polish American artist Krzysztof Wodiczko joined local artist Robin Bell to project images onto the National Gallery of Art’s East Building. Their video installation, titled “Art of Ending War,” featured a curated selection of anti-war artworks—ranging from John Singer Sargent’s 1919 depiction of World War I mustard gas casualties to Banksy’s stencil piece “Bomb Love.” These projections recalled the human cost of war and were displayed along Pennsylvania Avenue NW, emphasizing the contrast between the grandeur of Washington’s monuments and the often overlooked consequences of conflict.

The projects coincide with the activities of an anonymous collective known as the Secret Handshake, which has been erecting temporary sculptures around the National Mall mocking perceived authoritarian tendencies in the Trump administration. Among their installations are statues depicting Trump and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein—who died in 2019—in satirical, ironic poses, including a recreation of a lewd birthday message Trump allegedly sent to Epstein, a claim Trump denies. The group stresses humor and engagement over harsh provocation, seeking to highlight the disparity between national ideals and political realities without cruelty. The collective operates legally, obtaining permits for their work, but maintains anonymity to avoid harassment and shift focus away from themselves.

While Bell and Wodiczko do not secure permits for their projections, they took precautions to minimize conflict with law enforcement during their swift setup near the National Gallery. Their intention is to spark dialogue within major cultural institutions that, they argue, have historically celebrated conquest and war while neglecting anti-war perspectives. Wodiczko said their work aims to accomplish what such institutions “maybe cannot do, maybe don’t want to do, maybe are afraid to do”—to better reflect public discourse and contemporary realities.

This tradition of guerrilla art as protest finds historical parallels internationally. The Secret Handshake exhibitions, with their playful yet pointed aesthetic, resonate with forms of dissent seen in authoritarian regimes where public dissent is often suppressed. One such example is the Russian artist Aleksandra Skochilenko, who was sentenced to prison for pasting anonymous anti-war messages in a supermarket. Her case highlighted the paradox of small-scale protest acting as a catalyst for broader public awareness despite governmental efforts at repression.

Wodiczko and Bell’s “Art of Ending War” includes the projection of Vasily Vereshchagin’s 1871 painting “The Apotheosis of War,” which depicts a grim pile of skulls symbolizing the devastation of armed conflict. Vereshchagin, known both for glorifying and critiquing war in his works, underscores the complicated legacy of war imagery.

The Washington demonstrations reflect how, under the Trump administration, public spaces have become contested arenas for artistic expression and political resistance. Whether through anonymous postcards, statuary, or projected images, artists invoke a longstanding principle: even small acts of creative dissent contribute to the broader struggle for democratic values and open dialogue. These gestures, while uncertain in impact, embody a persistent hope that public discourse and civic engagement endure despite political turbulence.