The theme of war permeates João Louro's work as a persistent echo of the human condition, worked through a common denominator: the word. The Battle of Verdun, in 1916, one of the largest and bloodiest of the First World War, was the subject of the works - Blind Image #202
and - Blind Images (Verdun) #204
(2015), in which the word takes on the role of caption for annulled images.

In 2018, Louro created - Little Boy #1
, a full-scale sculptural object referring to the first atomic bomb dropped at the end of World War II on Hiroshima, Japan, causing the total devastation of the city. This tragic episode includes in its history an original and fascinating concept developed by physicist J. R. Oppenheimer - considered the “father of the atomic bomb” - in the Manhattan Project, which inspired João Louro: the relationship between atoms and words, more specifically the analogy between the nucleus of an atom and a letter, considered to be indivisible units from the outset, both possessing incalculable power. The fission of such elements can generate massive energy.

The work - Little Boy
represents this power of the word, which in total freedom dominates the surface of the “bomb”, coating it with inscriptions and images, signs and metaphorical symbols. Mixing “high and low culture” in various languages, Louro presents pop/rock references, along with quotes and cultural fragments that also relate to the First World War, in particular the Dada movement that began in 1916.

Suspended a few centimetres off the ground, this sculptural object at first takes on a threatening expression, but soon the eye is drawn to the words and images inscribed on it, in a provocative invitation to read and reflect on historical and cultural references.