Compassion: A Paradox in Art and Society aims to show what space an artwork can occupy in the public domain, and whether it can use this position to activate compassion in the world.

In a turbulent climate of hostility and dissent, fomenting compassion is an urgent imperative. Developed in close collaboration with artist Rini Hurkmans, initiator of the conceptual artwork "The Flag of Compassion," Compassion is hybrid in character, presenting itself as a case study for a new form of art analysis that brings in contributions from art historians, artists, curators and academics. Part of Valiz's new Making Public series, this book asks what compassion can mean in the arts, and what role art can have in creating it and spreading it on a social and political level, moving from the theory and philosophy of compassion into an analysis of concrete artistic interventions.