Krig & Konst. En studie av konstens möjliga funktion och kulturarvets betydelse under det pågående kriget i Ukraina.

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Ukrainian artist Kinder Album and war photographers from the exhibition “Russian War Crimes” let their artistic works operate as a mean of cultural resistance against Russian aggression and Russian propaganda. In that aspect their works are also contributing to the preservation of Ukrainian national identity during wartime. Through a qualitative methodology this study will analyse selected artworks, through interviews and a close reading of relevant journalistic material. The theoretical framework for this essay is rooted in a sociological and cultural theoretical perspective based on Zygmunt Bauman’s theory of modernity, Hannah Arendt’s theories of totalitarianism, Aleida Assman’s theory of cultural memory, and Susan Sontag’s reflections on war photography. The results will indicate the significant role that artistic expression plays when it comes to taking a stand against enemy propaganda in wartime. War is not only fought on a geographical battlefield, but also in the field of cultural and aesthetic manifestations. In that aspect this study argues that Ukrainian art contributes to the construction of a national narrative and a cultural memory that in the end will serve as a tool for national survival in times of war.