How we talk about the war in Ukraine in the language of art: the experience of a residency in Latvia

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At the beginning of September, the charity auction ended, which was the final chord of the Ukrainian-Latvian art residence “Ukraine.Residence of Freedom”. The project idea originated in Ukraine, and was implemented in Latvia by the international Ukrainian-Latvian team – two powerful agencies Plombir event (UA) and Skudras Metropole (LV). While the impressions from the project are still fresh, I would like to share the lessons and experience of implementing international initiatives aimed at experimentally immersing society in the topic of the war in Ukraine and the struggle for our freedom.

1. Slogans don’t work, bet on your own experience and emotions. We chose the artistic format because it allows you to feel and reflect on the topic on a deeper emotional level. Moreover, we made the format of the residence open so that all visitors could freely move between the objects of the residence, observe the process of creating art objects or even participate in it. Because the themes of freedom and war are about our daily lives, not something behind the glass of a museum display case.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Chizhova

For example, the Latvian performer Mārcis Ziemiņš divided the concept of freedom into components – language, life and land. Three kinetic canvases, next to which the facts about 134 attempts to ban our language, thousands of dead civilians since 2014, and tens of thousands of km2 of mined land were indicated, invited the viewer to think about the question: “What are you ready to give for your freedom?”

In the last days of the residence, all the created art objects became part of a unique experience – the gastronomic performance “The Price of Freedom”. These same canvases were transformed into tablecloths. And the viewer once again reconsidered every terrible fact of the war and the true meaning of the word “freedom”.

Photos courtesy of Natalia Chizhova

2. Mix experiences. When I came to Riga, and with me were more than 10 Ukrainian artists who were supposed to work in tandem with Latvian colleagues, the difference in emotional color became very clear. We wanted the artists in pairs to create a kind of kaleidoscope of views on the theme of freedom during the war. And the empirical experience of the war of Ukrainians was clearly reflected in tones, moods and approaches.

As a result, due to collaborations with Latvian colleagues, a kind of balance between light and darkness, between pain and hope, was created, which allowed us to look at a topic already familiar to us in a new way. I personally conducted curatorial tours for Ukrainians, and after each of them it was difficult to even talk for several hours, so deeply you relive the trauma over and over again. So she concluded that it is useful to adapt storytelling for different groups – to present Ukrainians with a more life-affirming part of the exposition, while foreigners should be immersed as much as possible in our complex experience. They will not be able to live it 100% (and it is a great happiness that there are those in the world who have not felt the pain of war), but even 10% will be enough to awaken the tired human psyche, which is understandably hiding from war.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Chizhova

3. Only personal stories work. We talk a lot about online fatigue, and it’s most visible at cultural events. Experiencing an emotional experience from interaction with art is impossible at home behind a monitor. This is especially important if you have a goal not only to tell, but also, for example, to collect money to help Ukrainian soldiers or civilians.

Creating an art project, we wanted to integrate the option of donations, which would work not only offline, but also in the format of an online auction. But they realized that our charitable collection for the program of psycho-social reintegration for wounded soldiers collected more precisely during the gastronomic performance than online – people feel a stronger emotional involvement and respond more willingly to the call to help. So far, we have managed to collect about 10,000 euros, but we need several times more, so some of the works are now available in the “get for donation” format until the end of the year.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Chizhova

4. Take your time to complete. During the four days of the residence, more than 600 guests visited it, which is a great result for small Latvia. And even after its completion, we noticed a lively interest in the created art objects, so in the next residencies, after the main program, we will immediately plan an additional exhibition format for a few more weeks, so that as many people as possible have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the installations and feel a part of them this atmosphere. In this way, we are working to raise awareness more widely.

It is not news that foreigners in countries friendly to us are also gradually losing interest in events in Ukraine. News from Ukrainian cities is absorbed by their own problems and topics – elections, cost of living, natural disasters. We have to find new forms and accents to bring us back to their daily context and to motivate us to action. Cultural diplomacy becomes almost key here. So we are considering partnerships for new residences of freedom in other Baltic and Scandinavian countries. Stay tuned.

Photo courtesy of Natalia Chizhova

Read also: “Fragmented evidence”: archives of the Biruchiy art residence surviving in Buchi are shown in New York. PHOTO

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