GA#161 world war III (2022) Print by Mattia Paoli

GA#161 World War III is a vector comic artwork created digitally on an iPad, in which Mattia Paoli combines the language of comics and contemporary graphic art with a powerful reflection on war, destruction, and the end of humanity.

At the center of the artwork is Mr NOJ, the recurring pseudonym and alter ego of the artist. NOJ derives from the English expression No Justice and from the logo Paoli created in 2012: the intersection of three letters forming a stylized human figure. The character embodies the artist’s rejection of social and artistic conformity, as well as his refusal to remain confined to a single recognizable style.

In World War III, Mr NOJ finds himself in the middle of a war, taking cover behind sandbags as he prepares to throw a grenade. The scene initially appears to depict a conventional moment of conflict, focusing on the individual caught between survival, fear, and violence. However, on the horizon, an atomic explosion suddenly changes the meaning of the entire scene.

The nuclear bomb becomes the true climax of the work. It does not simply represent the end of the war, but the end of everything. Its destructive power eliminates not only the conflict itself, but also humanity, society, and the possibility of any future. The words “THE END” therefore function on multiple levels: they mark the conclusion of the comic narrative while simultaneously suggesting the definitive end of civilization and creation itself.

The apparent simplicity of the vector-based comic aesthetic contrasts sharply with the catastrophic subject matter. Through this contrast, Paoli transforms a seemingly straightforward war scene into a reflection on the absurdity of violence and humanity’s potential for self-destruction.

Mr NOJ becomes the silent witness to a world that destroys itself through the very conflict it is attempting to win. The final explosion makes every previous action meaningless: there is no longer anything left to conquer, defend, or create.

GA#161 World War III is therefore not merely a depiction of war. It is a visual statement about the point at which war becomes absolute destruction and when, beyond that point, there is simply nothing left.

Materials used:

Digital printing

Details:

• Print on Fabric
• From a limited edition of 100
• Size: 50 x 50 x 0.1cm (unframed)
• Signed and numbered certificate of authenticity
• Style: Cartoon
• Subject: People and portraits