Art as a Factor in War and Peace

It is important to explore the artistic dimensions of conflict resolution. Art in culture is crucial to consider in overall conflict resolution and particularly in tracking Ukraine’s path towards independence, democracy, and peace. So on the surface, it may seem comparatively trivial to focus on the role of art in peace-building when violence and economic and social crises are so prominent. However, how we interact with art during a war can address and transform relevant social issues.

Creative and artistic activities provide a powerful source of peace-building energy that can be lacking in formalized processes of conflict resolution and fosters a culture of peace which the UN has defined as a “set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior, and ways of life that rejects violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes, to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups, and nations.”

Narratives of recovery, coping, condemnation of war and pressure, and promotion of hope have transcended decades, appearing in Ukrainian works from the 19th to 21st centuries. Studying art in conflict resolution allows us to explore the conflict transformation potential of art.

 

1. These artworks depict the reality of the Crimean war: the first painting by Thomas William Wood, called the “Industrious Crimean Invalid,” shows Thomas Walker in bed recovery after a severe head injury sustained after the battle.              

 

2. The second painting depicts officers opening “morale boxes.” because participating in the war was so grueling, physically and emotionally devastating, officers were sent morale boxes to lift spirits.

3. These artworks were done by Ukrainian children aging from 5 to 11, drawn amidst the 2014 Ukrainian crisis.

4. These works are responses to the current Russian-Ukrainian crisis. Unlike the previous two examples, these artworks are from non-Ukrainian artists. The first is a San Francisco street artist, and the second is a Parisian street artist. The San Francisco work shows doves dragging the decapitated head of Putin as a display of support for Ukraine. The Parisian art shows a young girl wearing a lilac-colored dress and traditional vinok, a crown of flowers and ribbons, proudly waving the Ukrainian flag as she crushes Russian tanks under her Mary Janes.

 

These are quotes from various American street artists discussing how their art responds to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. As these artists demonstrate, art can be used to connect different cultures, share knowledge and promote comprehension between people.

1. “We have an obligation to…put things on the street about this because that’s how the conversations start and then it can live on the internet and that’s how change happens. It’s kind of like a resistance…you’re using art to potentially change people’s perspectives” Corie Mattie
2. “Am I part of the resistance? Yes, I consider myself an activist. My message is generally one of positive love and peace…it is one that is speaking to the gut feelings of many people today. It’s kind of the voice of the people on the ground living the horrors of what [putin] started” Todd Goodman
3. “Good art makes you think, great art makes you do.” Corie Mattie

Art stimulates a variety of emotions and perceptions, some works uplifting and inspiring us to work towards peace and harmony. While other works are more combative, calling out critical enduring issues of oppression and injustice.

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On the other hand, attacks on art can be interpreted as a direct form of aggression. In the recent invasion, Putin targeted The Museum of Local History, a museum that housed 25 works of Ukrainian artist Maria Prymachenko, one of the nation’s most notable artists and a pillar of the nation’s cultural identity. She was from a peasant family, and her art reflected this and displayed her hopes and dreams as a young Ukrainian woman, advocating for world solidarity and peace. Fifteen of Prymachenko’s works burned in the museum.

 

 

In many instances where there is a deliberate destruction of cultural heritage, the target of the aggressors is not the art or cultural object itself but rather the communities for whom the heritage is special.

The goal is not to destroy the art for the sake of destroying art but to dismiss the legitimacy of a culture’s value and deflate the community’s spirit. This shows a clear discriminatory and persecutory intent against a community or cultural group, and so much intentional destruction of cultural heritage is an atrocious act of aggression. In the context of war and looking at this instance specifically, Putin’s targeting of the museum is significant. Art has shown to be the manifestation of the people’s history and voice, representing their culture in an object. The meaning of the object or work transcends the medium— rather than being just a Prymachenko painting, the works become a symbol of culture testifying the existence of the Ukrainian identity. So the deliberate destruction of the museum housing these culturally significant works is severe, ranging from being considered an attack on the people to a direct attempt to erase their history and their current identity.

 

This depicts the different roles art plays in peace-building at different stages of a conflict. We are obviously looking at Ukraine in the “in conflict stage”: we see support for cultural activities designed to assuage feelings of loneliness and hopelessness, giving hope, putting pressure on conflict parties, demonstrating inhumane aspects of the conflict region through exhibitions, murals, and artworks. Art is universal and neither naturally good nor bad, yet there are numerous examples where art unites people to promote self-awareness, mutual tolerance, intercultural understanding, and cooperation. It shows the positive power of creativity as an agent of transformation and conflict resolution.

 

 

 

 

Sources

AssociatedPress. “Street Artists Paint Their Resistance to Ukraine War.” YouTube, YouTube, 25 Mar. 2022
Golden, Jonathan. “Ukraine-Russia War Explained: Conflict Resolution.” Drew University, Mar. 2022
Passer, Juliette. Talk On Ukraine. April 21, 2022
Ramsbotham, Oliver, et al. Contemporary Conflict Resolution: The Prevention, Management and Transformation of Deadly Conflicts. Polity, 2015.
Russian Committee of Solidarity with the Maidan. “Through Art, Children Plea for Peace in Ukraine.” RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, Through Art, Children Plea For Peace In Ukraine, 12 Aug. 2014