Art as Protest and Trauma Cope

Maria Kulikovs'ka, “254,” 2014; photo by Dana Kosmina.

Lawrence, September 7, 2022 – Something that in a Theatre and Genocide class discussed is that If we ask ourselves; is art an escape or a statement of life?

My answer was that it can be both an escape and a statement. One creates art to release all the creativity captivated in our being. It opens up the opportunity to be able to express ALL that you feel and convey a message. Everything that’s currently happening in Ukraine and have gone through has been one of the greatest injustices and inhumane acts of these times. Thanks to art it has helped them greatly as a way to deal and cope with the unfortunate situation. Also, with this they are carrying a message of hope, perseverance, and tenacity in continuing with their hopes and dreams.

In the article Art Resistance against Russia’s “Non-Invasion” of Ukraine by Nazar Kozak, the author explored the resistance of activist art, analyzed three art projects that were staged during the first and more violent year of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. These projects not only made the war visible but also produced internal conflict. “The placement of Zakharov’s images was crucial for their disruptive effectiveness. The artist used the streets of Donetsk, which were a key location for the staging of the simulation of the “non-invasion.” This way, he managed to insert an alien disruptive element into the Novorossiia’s illusion, masquerading as its organic component.” (Kozak, 2022)

Left: Serhii Zakharov, view of the images of Motorola and his bride outside of the Civil Marriages Registry Office, Donetsk, 2014; photograph from the Myrzilka website by an anonymous photographer. Right: Serhii Zakharov, view of the image of Death holding a scroll with the downed aircrafts (including MH17), Donetsk, 2014; photograph from the Myrzilka website by an anonymous photographer.

The arts and politics have a versatile relationship. Art contributes greatly to political discourse and helps to shape current political and philosophical opinions. Although art is often an alterable form, it functions as an instrument to bring change to the existing realities of politics and society. And now more than ever it is even more necessary to bring about that social awareness. Since the problematic state between Ukraine and Russia, artists have created works that respond to the circumstances that have and are happening. They are protesting against war and politics, clearly the artists are challenging and generating a movement. All of this is necessary to convey the message they want to carry.

Polinka, 9 years old, Kyiv; Drawing

The article As They Saw It: Ukrainian Children Witnessing the Horrors of Warby Professor Ami Kantawala presents a compilation of different children's drawings where they capture their daily life and experience in wartime. Drawings and descriptions that make one literally drink self tears. One with an immense desire to be able to help and not being able to do anything in the current state. Those drawings brought me back memories of my time in pediatric oncology where the children also represented their feelings in drawings. Most of the drawings were about how they wanted to be healthy so the doctor wouldn't keep injecting them with Chemo, to see their families happy because they see them constantly crying because "I'm sick." It is incredible how in two completely different situations the children show us that sense of innocence, but with a powerful message. Messages of wanting to alive, doing everyday things, living as one is supposed to, and hope. Sometimes is unbelievable how the human being does not appreciate the fact of doing things like breathing, walking, seeing, and hearing. These things that despite being 'normal' many of the children's messages is to be able to do those things avoiding the bad situation of war and/or illness. “Polinka, 9 years old, Kyiv Despite the sirens and explosions I hear outside the window, I continue to do what I love most — drawing. And also, I dream: when I go to school again, I will see friends, I will go on a hike with my parents, I will buy the most giant chocolate bar in the store and I will never have dreams of war again.” (Kantawala, 2022) As Stevens proposes in his Trauma Study Framework, trauma creates. It creates another person based on the event that formed it, but that's where the action comes in as well. “These children aren’t simply bystanders to the war—they have faced displacement, trauma, and the horrors of violence.” (Kantawala, 2022) And that is reflected in what many people and these children have represented in their arts.

Resources:

Kantawala, A. (Adjunct Associate Professor) (2022) As They Saw It: Ukrainian Children Witnessing the Horrors of War, Art Education, 75:4, 4-7, DOI: 10.1080/00043125.2022.2070401

Kozak, N. (2022). Art Resistance against Russia’s “Non-Invasion” of Ukraine. East/West, 9(1), 67–104. https://doi.org/10.21226/ewjus585

Meerzon, Y. (2022) “‘Art Is Not an Escape; It Is a Statement of Life." Interview with Alex Borovenskiy." Critical Stages/Scènes Critiques, Critical Stages. https://www.critical-stages.org/25/art-is-not-an-escape-it-is-a-statement-of-life-interview-with-alex-borovenskiy-proenglish-theatre-kyiv/

Stevens, M.E. (2016). Trauma is as Trauma Does: The Politics of Affect in Catastrophic Times. In M. Casper & E. Wertheimer (Eds.), Critical Trauma Studies: Understanding Violence, Conflict and Memory in Everyday Life (pp. 19–36). NYU Press.