To prove the power of art to resist social injustice, dictatorship, and war, that is enough to say that it is the first site that autocrats want to ruin and remove by manipulating it, censorship, and indifference. Pieces of art produced during wartime portray physical and mental war traumas and a powerful political statement against war.
The project Mom I See War depicts how the Russian invasion rioted the routines of many children in Ukraine. It is also a cultural document of the trauma that they are in it, expressing their hope and inspiration for the future. All drawings speak for themselves, but I was fascinated by the Odesa drawing, painted by a ten years old kid named Anastasia. There is an Angel of Odesa in white clothes trying to protect Ukraine. Anastasia has written a beautiful text describing her drawing for her mother. Despite the poetic and artistic facets of the picture, there is an irony in the image depicting the angel of Odesa helping Ukraine and preventing war, which other countries and politicians could not do.
The article Art Resistance against Russia's "Non-Invasion" of Ukraine by Nazar Kuzak accounts for how art projects had agency in disrupting the "non-invasion" simulation that Russia attempted to present to people to distance itself from invasion. It also demonstrates how media has turned into a site where both sides of a controversy try to benefit. Russian government launched a disinformation media campaign, denying its involvement in the war. Moreover, through media, artists made their art and political statement visible to the public, spread awareness, and disrupted the simulation of Russia's non-invasion of Ukraine.
The three projects that Kuzak investigates in the article are simple, but thanks to the internet, their influence on social awareness about what Russia tried to hide was huge.
Death in the museum happened in "Manifesta 10" in Russia. Kulikovs'ka covered herself in the Ukrainian flag and lay down at a museum in St. Petersburg. Although there were few people at the museum then, the Internet dissemination of photos and videos caused multiple debates, reportages, and interviews; by discussing Kulikovs'ka's performance, they drew attention to Russia's involvement in the Ukrainian events.
The second project that Kozak investigates is One Artist Army. In this project Zakharov' installed caricature images of Russian proxy rebels on the streets of occupied Donetsk, and his friend took pictures in the early morning. Then they posted photos on the internet. Several days after that, Zakharov was arrested by Russia. The author maintains that: 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 staging 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. (p: 87)
The third project is The Occupation "On Vacation." In fact, Russia participated in the 56th Venice Biennale with "The Green Pavilion," intended to simulate the simulation of "non-invasion" of Ukraine. But artists changed the message by wearing military camouflage jackets with the inscription "#onvacation" on their backs and walking through a Russian pavilion, taking a selfie and posting it on the media. They also established a website advertising a competition to win a free tour to Crimea. The unity of artists in this project disrupted Russia's message by adding another layer to this event.
These projects prove the role of art in resistance against media war. Kozak states that: they not only made the war visible but also produced a "glitch in the matrix" effect, a contradiction within the simulation's visual regime that was inconsistent with its concealing function (p: 71)
In all three projects, authorities tried to suppress artists, but they failed to cut the awareness stream caused by art. I believe these three projects perfectly show how art unites artists in critical moments and how art finds its own way to resist injustice.
Sources:
Kantawala, Ami. “As They Saw It: Ukrainian Children Witnessing the Horrors of War.” Art Education, vol. 75, no. 4, 2022, pp. 4–7., https://doi.org/10.1080/00043125.2022.2070401.
Kozak, Nazar. “Art Resistance against Russia’s ‘Non-Invasion’ of Ukraine.” East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies, vol. 9, no. 1, 2022, pp. 67–104., https://doi.org/10.21226/ewjus585.
Art is the best weapon that the one who creates it can have. Those children and their drawings represented their hopes and dreams and of course that breaks anyone's heart. As you mention at the end, art helps to resist and fight injustice no matter how old you are. I loved it, Marzi! Great job!
Marzi, I really liked your reflection of the readings and support with the painting from the young ten year old girl. I also agree how it is a little bit ironic that the angel is protecting Ukraine. I also agree that this war is not just what meets the eye. There is so much more that lies deeper in the media, that is almost like it is its own war.
Marzi, what a great summary of the reading! I really liked how you emphasized the consciousness that art creates. Art in all it's forms, theatre, painting, literature, sculpture, etc, can convey realities that other modes of communication simply can't, and especially when art confronts war or injustice, the impact of said art is far more powerful. You also did a great job emphasizing the role the internet plays in distributing and disseminating said consciousness. Whereas, I am sure the projects that we read about are far more powerful in situ, the archive of said works is still powerfully evocative and has the potential to facilitate the discourses created by a given piece.
Marzi, I thought you focus around art as a disruptive force was really interesting. The picture of the angel defending the city is a powerful image and I see why multiple people used it as reference. The importance of social media as a way to spread art over borders almost instantaneously is something that I think makes modern day wars a lot different than in the past. Art and expression in a powerful tool to spread ideologies, however it's limited by its accessibility. Using social media to spread art has allowed us to share ideas and catalyze movements.