Art for peace

2016

The concept of peace is a universal quest in the hearts of many people. Individuals and corporate organizations and the world as a whole, tend to strive for peaceful co-existence among each other, in the face of mounting crises in the society, hence, the place of visual arts in social commentary cannot be overemphasized. Artists have created works which serve as statements on certain crises situations, wars and ravaging famine, as a result of conflicts (ethnic and religious), and outrage to certain social, economic or political manipulations. The potency of visual arts in propagating peace issues in the society cannot be overemphasised. In this article, which is an ongoing Ph.D. research, an attempt is made at reviewing some exhibits that deal with peace and conflict resolution, commentaries by artists to advance the art of painting and sculpture in the interdisciplinary approach to peacebuilding. The paper concludes by drawing inferences from the exhibits reviewed and calling on th...

Art Inquiry. Recherches sur les arts, 2024

In the face of constant threats, regardless of time, epoch, place or degree of civilization (de-civilization), human beings behave in ways that are primarily analyzed by doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists. The most relevant scholars to take up this problem are Lévinas, Ozick and Quignards. Such a state of affairs, involving extreme experiences caused by the forces of nature, technical failures, terrorist acts and wars, has become the object of attention of philosophers, cultural researchers and artists. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict-one of the world's longest disputes-has been causing deep wounds to communities on both sides. In the midst of political and historical tensions, and the awareness of a lack of any consensus, there is a spring of thought and, consequently, of action, the conviction that art, through the expression of deepest experiences, can become a platform of understanding. The current (since 7 October 2023), another war in the history of the State of Israel since 1948, and the reaction of Israeli and Palestinian artists to it, is the subject of this article. The reaction of artists through works of art is a dramatic attempt to respond to a state of extreme threat (war, death, famine, kidnapping, rape). From the perspective of researchers (e.g. La Capra or Van Alphen), it is perceived as a "transmission of the affect that moves them", which is reflected in the works created. Jewish and Palestinian artists reacted energetically to the events unfolding in Israel and Gaza.

2017

Artists have involved with their different styles and approaches to help resolving conflicts all over the world. They help in raising awareness of different conflicts through their activities that engage people with art. The creative elements of the art also help in exploring various means of conflict resolution and problem solving (Lumsden, 1997). This study examines the role of artist in society in the framework of conflict resolution and peacemaking. A qualitative research method is used in this research, which in result provides a better understanding of the work of Middle Eastern artists. The research includes in-depth interviews with two artists from the Gulf countries: Abbas Almosawi; a Bahraini artist, and Abdulnasser Gharem; a Saudi artist. The focus of this research is to identify the roles that artists play in society with respect to conflict resolution and peacemaking. Through utilizing a thematic analysis method to analyze the data, the finding identified six roles the artist plays in the society: 1) Observation. 2) Identifying problems. 3) reflection. 4) Partnering with NGO's. 5) Leadership. 6) Influence. The research is also an attempt to shed the light on aspects that can help conflict resolution practitioners to apply the arts for their benefits and increase the effectiveness of their work. The research includes examples of art activities as well as artworks from various artists from the Middle East that show the level of involvement of art in conflict resolution and peacemaking.

The Bridge - Newsletter for A Partnership of Faith in New York City, 1998

In 1989-at the time of the intifada-Hagitte Gal'Ed, a Jewish Israeli artist and educator, took the first of several groups of urban teenagers from the United States to Israel to work in artistic collaboration with Arab and Jewish Israeli teenagers. Through this research project she completed her doctoral dissertation at NYU on the topic of international peace education through the arts.

The Making of Art and the Knowledge of Peace: A Grounded Theory Study of Video ARTiculation as a Learning Tool in a Dialogic Program of Peace Education, 2001

They are genuine artists and dedicated searchers of peace. They were supported by a deeply appreciated financial and technical aid from the then New Jersey Summer Arts Institute, and the B'nai Zion Foundation. They are the heart of this study, and forever will have a special place in my heart.

“Art and the Building of Peace.” Critical Arts: South-North Cultural and Media Studies. Vol. 27, No. 4, 2013, pp. 444-448. http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kent/ArtBuilding.pdf

Artists have involved with their different styles and approaches to help resolving conflicts all over the world. They help in raising awareness of different conflicts through their activities that engage people with art. The creative elements of the art also help in exploring various means of conflict resolution and problem solving (Lumsden, 1997). This study examines the role of artist in society in the framework of conflict resolution and peacemaking. A qualitative research method is used in this research, which in result provides a better understanding of the work of Middle Eastern artists. The research includes in-depth interviews with two artists from the Gulf countries: Abbas Almosawi; a Bahraini artist, and Abdulnasser Gharem; a Saudi artist. The focus of this research is to identify the roles that artists play in society with respect to conflict resolution and peacemaking. Through utilizing a thematic analysis method to analyze the data, the finding identified six roles the artist plays in the society: 1) Observation. 2) Identifying problems. 3) reflection. 4) Partnering with NGO's. 5) Leadership. 6) Influence. The research is also an attempt to shed the light on aspects that can help conflict resolution practitioners to apply the arts for their benefits and increase the effectiveness of their work. The research includes examples of art activities as well as artworks from various artists from the Middle East that show the level of involvement of art in conflict resolution and peacemaking.

2015

and Conflict Societies. The Examples of Kosovo and Afghanistan”1 I will discuss the hypothesis that the articulation of violation, as demanded by artists, can be describe as an opportunity that demands recognition, as their perspective can contribute to sustainable change in conflictual societies. Artists in post-war societies are coping with the experience of being marginalized, ridiculed and prosecuted. The artists ’ creativity is one strategy they use to create a new way of coping with unbearable situations. I will conclude that the artistic disposition toward social changes and normalizations in post-war societies consists in remaining a wound. Sustainable cultural assistance in countries such as Kosovo and Afghanistan can yield lasting results only if actors from these societies are included in and recognized as equal partners in the process of reconstruction of their societies. In the following essay, I will draw on research undertaken in Kosovo and Afghanistan.2 The two count...

The Open Psychology Journal

Background: According to the Latin poet Virgil, art is capable of revealing to us what no science can ever reveal to a human mind. The main thesis of this paper is that art can play an extremely beneficial role in society as it can strongly foster humans’ efforts to attain a deeper and broader comprehension of reality. Objective: The experience of art can provide a powerful contribution to the efforts to avoid resorting to violence and to address conflicts constructively. Violence or, more exactly, unjustified violence, basically rests on an irrational and short-sighted analysis and interpretation of reality. Results: The psychological processes relating to the aesthetic experience and to its connections with violence are described. It is also pointed out that this theoretical perspective does not fully coincide with the theoretical theses underpinning art therapy. In fact, in this paper art is not considered as a mere therapeutic instrument. Instead, an attempt has been made to con...

2017