Professor: Jan Avgikos
Date: October 1, 2022
Art has been used as a tool for war propaganda for decades, so as an artist I have been yearning to witness its implementation in life-affirming and benevolent topics. In recent years, individual or group art therapy became a viable option for many struggling with mental health problems. There is credible evidence and research on how art can aid in healing emotional and mental wounds. If art can help us to do better individually, why not as societies and nations?
Although the debate continues over whether or not the wars and armed conflicts (interstate, global or intrastate) are declining, I believe peacemaking initiatives will always be useful, even at times when markedly fewer wars are going on around the world. As Celia Chambelland states in her article published by the Peace Insight, “Art has considerable potential in peacebuilding, not only in the conflict resolution field but also in post-conflict reconciliation. Defying all linguistic boundaries, it is considered a universal language and therefore an ideal resource to understand the perspectives of others, particularly their perspective on a given conflict” (Chambelland).
While we don’t yet know much about the effects of art in social behavior or its psychological and neurobiological mechanism, simply because there isn’t enough research on these topics, there are studies which highlight art’s socio-epistemic importance. A 2017 study published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience shows that art can help us develop empathy, self-understanding, a different perspective, and better social knowledge which are essential qualities in peacemaking (Sherman and Morrissey).
In her research paper titled, “The Arts in Peace-building and Reconciliation: Mapping Practice.” Tiffany Fairey summarized how art can contribute in peace building. She lists 5 key themes: “the arts as healing; the arts as remembering; the arts as a pursuit for truth and justice; the arts as enabling dialogue; the arts as embedding peaceful values” (Fairey).
Art can be implemented as a tool not only during the ongoing conflicts and wars, but before and after them as well. Art can warn and aid in prevention of the violence that might lead up to the wars, or it can be used as a reconciliation instrument to bring warring parties together after the conflict is over.
We can learn from the examples utilized around the world, how art can assist in conflict resolution, during and at the end of armed conflicts and wars. One such example was the role of arts-based activities in Bosnia-Herzegovina war between 1992 and 1995. Many international and local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and artists made use of art to bring awareness of the impending violence before the war started. During the war, they protested the violence, organized and presented creative therapy projects and hundreds of theater and music performances. Additionally, since the end of the war these efforts have continued. The artists performed art activities to help assist in reconciliation between ethnic groups (Zelizer).
This example clearly showed that arts-based peacebuilding processes can play an important role in helping to foster interaction in divided societies and help facilitate reconciliation in post-conflict reconstruction. Shared art activities can assist individuals and groups in healing from the horrors of war and serve as a bridge to facilitating increased intergroup-interaction and healing.
Arts can be applied as a common language and allow for non-verbal communication. This is especially important as most regional conflicts can be amongst tribes or groups who do not speak the same language. Music, photography, dance and paintings can be understood and enjoyed by humans, regardless of what language they speak. Art can show reciprocity to encourage connectivity, similarities as well as address differences and foster mutual understanding.
In conflict regions around the world, artists have enabled cross-cultural communication between oppressors and the oppressed by using human rights topics in their art. These art projects also present opportunities to meet in a neutral framework where conflicting parties can feel safe, included and accepted. Art can break down mistrust between oppositional communities by examining the sources of prejudices and racist stereotypes, opening the way for reconciliation and justice. It shows how it is possible to find mutual solutions where both parties feel heard and understood.
Amongst the many advantages of utilizing art within the peacemaking context, one major benefit of it is being affordable and inexpensive. Especially considering how wars and armed conflicts cause massive economic declines in the conflicting regions. Art can be done at a low cost, using the resources available. It also does not require years of expertise. Anyone can participate and make art.
Another advantage of choosing art as a peacemaking tool is its natural diversity within the art makers. Many different kinds of artists can bring different sets of talents and creative ideas into the table: International artists, exiled artists, locally based artists, amateur artists. The projects can be managed by community members or community-based artists. NGOs, arts organizations, institutions and different stakeholders can collaborate using arts-based methods and arts projects.
Art can also be used as a reminder of why peace is very important. From Holocaust to both World Wars, many monuments have been built to show us the horrors of wars and make us think creative solutions to never again resort to horrendous violence. Guernica is an excellent example of an artwork where mere glance at the piece evokes compassion in us, if not make us weep standing in front of it. It makes us remember, not only the victims of brutal fascism, but also why it is important to contain dangerous ideologies as they can easily turn into cruel mass murders and wars.
We can also utilize art as a protest tool in order to highlight and show the atrocities of wars, armed conflicts, civil wars and other forms of oppression. Following the shootings of unarmed students at the Kent State University while they were protesting the Vietnam War in 1970, other college students in different universities produced hundreds of anti-war artworks, especially posters. Other examples such as the South African painter Marlen Dumas’s haunting works on Apartheid can make the viewers understand the social struggles of oppressed peoples around the world. Banksy, a UK based street artist, known for his anti-authoritarian art, has used art as an instrument against war throughout his entire career, forcing us to witness and question wars.
In conclusion, art-based activities can contribute to peace and healing and help move away from violence of wars and other forms of conflicts. Art is a heart and soul activity where the art making individual is required to crack open, lay aside vulnerabilities and be real. We use our frontal cortex to make art where creativity, insight, convergent and divergent thinking come from. These abilities can guide us to come up with intuitive solutions to conflicts. In contrast, wars are a mental activity where our most basic survival instincts are activated in order to win or stay alive. Art helps us return back to our humanity, see the ‘other’ as another struggling fellow human, and soften our hearts to the harsh realities of existing in this world. It is one of the most creative ways to find better and non-violent solutions when a conflict arises. It is also a great tool for healing emotional wounds that can lead to more understanding, reconciliation and even forgiveness of our enemies.
Works Cited
Chambelland, Celia. “Art, a Miracle Remedy for Peace?” Peace Insight, 31 Aug.
2018,
Sherman, Alexandria and Clair Morrissey. “What Is Art Good For? The Socio-Epistemic
Value of Art.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, vol. 11. NCBI, 28 Aug. 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5581397/
Fairey, Tiffany. “The Arts in Peace-building and Reconciliation: Mapping Practice.” Art &
Reconciliation Online Magazine, 2017,
Zelizer, Craig. “The Role of Artistic Processes in Peace-Building in Bosnia Herzegovina.”
Peace and Conflict Studies: Vol. 10 : No. 2 , Article 4. NSU Works,
Nova Southeastern University,
https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1039&context=pcs. Accessed 16 Sept. 2022
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