THE plight of child soldiers around the world is explored in new exhibitions which opened at the weekend.

Two works by leading sculptor Laura Ford and a third from awardwinning photographer Dean Chapman opened at the Durham Light Infantry Museum and Durham Art Gallery, on Saturday.

Laura Ford’s Armour Boys sees five small bronze armour-clad figures scattered lifeless in the grounds of the Durham County Council-run museum.

The “playing dead” children’s game is a reminder of the plight of child soldiers and the vulnerability of children around the world.

Her Glory Glory exhibition, in the gallery, explores national identity in works influenced by stereotype emblems from her youth such as the spy, terrorist, foreigner, witch and outsider.

Some of the work featured in Glory Glory was exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 2005 and her work is in numerous collections, including Tate Britain, Government Art Collection, V&A Museum and Miami Art Museum.

Burma: Children of Conflict is a series of photographs by North- East based photographer Dean Chapman, who has been documenting the plight of Burmese people and the challenging issues they have faced since 1990. His photographs have been published and exhibited internationally. He received the European Publishers’ Award for Photography in 1998, which resulted in the publication of the book, Karenni, the Forgotten War of a Nation Besieged.

The exhibition runs alongside Glory Glory until July 19, while Armour Boys is on display until September 30.