Holy Arms

Holy Arms

Mother of God, Armed

A veiled Madonna holds a rifle against her chest, drawn in black ink on white. The figure keeps the stillness of an icon while carrying the weapon of a soldier, and the contrast is the whole question: what is being defended, and by whom.

Holy Arms is a collaboration between the Department and Marina Kostić, an artist from Novi Sad. In 2024 she painted it as Holly Arms, in acrylic, spray paint and gold on canvas, 60 × 70 cm, the halo laid in gold.