The Russian invasion of Ukraine has inspired several artists to express their concerns in the best way they can — through their art
Representation pic
In 1937, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso created Guernica, an oil on canvas, which is widely regarded as the most moving and powerful anti-war painting in history. The piece poignantly depicts the suffering caused by the violence and chaos of war, and was painted in response to the bombing of its namesake Spanish city by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. Over the years, art and artists have essayed a crucial role in holding up a mirror to pertinent global issues. And with tensions escalating between Ukraine and Russia, homegrown artists have taken brush to canvas once again.
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I’m urging people to make art, not war
For Navi Mumbai-based artist Avantika Mathur, her feelings of helplessness and strong desire to “do something about it” prompted her to take to the streets with her paints. She’s created a mural inspired by the popular 1960s anti-war mantra, which was first coined by American artist Shephard Fairley. “Fairley asserted the need for creative rather than destructive acts. On hearing the news about Russian soldiers advancing into Ukraine, as an artist situated thousands of miles away, I felt heartbroken. The only thing I can do is to spread the message of love and peace through my art. I urge people to consider: how will the human race prevail without humanity?” she elaborated. The mural is located in Sector 9, CBD Belapur.
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The politics of peace
This piece by artist Kunel Gaur has been widely shared on social media and is being called particularly apropos. Gaur explains, “We have the most wonderful technology, education system and health infrastructure compared to any other time in history, and yet we fight. Because commerce drives everything. And not always in a good way. Oil is the reason that electric cars arrived so late despite being invented 30 years back. Coal is the reason that the potential dangers of wind-mills are constantly in the news. And wars are the reason that we’re in a forever game of hide-and-seek with the possibility of a future in line with the common good. Peace is still a pipe-dream, and since we cannot achieve it, the least that I can do is say it like it is.”
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Peace, revisited
Pablo Picasso’s 1949 work titled Dove of Peace has been reimagined by Sajid Wajid Shaikh, who has added another layer to the iconic imagery. “I used the firecracker strips to explore how perceptions of peace are hammered into us as children until that notion literally and metaphorically explodes, even as we wield guns as toys from an early age. The Ukraine war has highlighted the general feelings of unease about our current political climate, which I’m sure many are experiencing right now,” Shaikh adds.
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My piece highlights the senselessness of war
“The war on the people of Ukraine should be condemned by everyone. We are living in a very dark age; we still haven’t overcome the grief of a pandemic, and we are already moving towards wars and killing even more people. War, not just on Ukraine, but on Syria, Yemen and Somalia too. How many lives will it take to satisfy the egos of our leaders?” questions Siddhesh Gautam, explaining that as depicted in his piece, war causes the bones and skulls that remain to pile up like mountains, and the mountain-like cities to become flattened. Because of war, maps and flags are bloodied and people become hopeless and broken. “Haven’t we learnt from the past?” he laments.
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Innocence lost
“The war in Ukraine has highlighted how world leaders, in their lust for power and greed, neglect the fact that those who bear the brunt of their actions are the innocent. Especially as a father, I cannot stop thinking about how little children just like my own have been robbed of their homes and childhoods by such callousness. Today, I can truly say I am ashamed of the world we’re handing down to future generations,” says Prasad Bhat, founder of Graphic Curry, about the piece he’s created and shared on his social media page.
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