Reflective Essay

Coming into ERH-373, Art in the 21st Century Ukraine, I wasn’t really sure what to expect or what I would learn. Other than what I had seen on the news about Ukraine and crisis between them and Russia over Crimea, I was not aware of the situation or the revolution taking place in the country. I assumed we would be looking at different works of art that had come from within Ukraine and how they depicted a post soviet country and its development. Instead this class aided me in opening up my mind when looking at an analyzing art and looking deeper into its meaning and what is can mean for a country. I have learned that through art there is potential to change policy within a country and drive revolution.

Over the course we looked at different works and how they each had their own influence throughout the country, how people viewed and reacted to different pieces and they impacted the community. However, the biggest struggle art has faced in Ukraine is the censorship by the government. This censorship through corruption in the government has molded the art scene and what people are allowed to view, sparking controversy and forcing citizens to push for a change. Censorship blocks the flow of ideas and creates more controversy between those in charge and the average citizens.

One of the more recent acts of censorship that has sparked controversy was the covering of Volodymyr Kuznetsov’s work, “Koliivschina: Judgment Day”, within the Art Arsenal in Ukraine. The act of painting over Kuznetsov’s unfinished work by Natalia Zabolotna, the art director of the Art Arsenal, enraged citizens and pushed them to protest outside of the museum for such act. The people of Ukraine are calling for change in the laws on censorship and are using art such as Kuznetsov’s as their motivator (Kennedy, Can Art Change Policy?).

Another more recent act of censorship within the state took place in September of this year as Vasyl Cherepanyn; an art teacher at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, had an entire exhibit get shut down by the government before it was even opened to the public. Cherepanyn’s work to try and display certain works and fight back against the censorship have gained him much attention in the contemporary art movement and helped him gain support by those involved in the revolution. Cherepanyn has made it his personal goal to try and change censorship laws and take a stand against the government and its ability to censor due to corruption (Kennedy, AN ART TEACHER FROM A UNIVERSITY IN KYIV WAS ATTACKED ON 9/23/14 IN #KONTRAKTOVASQUARE BY #MILITANTS FOR HIS VIEWS. HOW CAN WE ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE? #EUROMAIDAN).

An example of this corruption for censorship occurred in August as the government passed a law that permitted both the president and National Security and Defense Council the right to censor whatever they please without a court order. However due to recent protest over this censorship the government is going back to relook at this law and reform how it is written. Policy is being changed due to art and its impact that it had on society (Kennedy, Can Art Change Policy?).

In the end, I have learned that art is one of the most influential and driving factors for individuals in a revolution. Art has the power to generate conversation, spark new ideas, and influence peoples minds and how they view a situation. Art has the ability to speak to everyone, regardless of language, education level, or position within society. If it were not for certain works and the message they shared, along with the response that came along with it, change would not be possible. Art has changed policy by bringing attention to issues within the government and rallying people to call for a change.

Works Cited

  • Kennedy, Taylor. “AN ART TEACHER FROM A UNIVERSITY IN KYIV WAS ATTACKED ON 9/23/14 IN #KONTRAKTOVASQUARE BY #MILITANTS FOR HIS VIEWS. HOW CAN WE ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE? #EUROMAIDAN.” 9 October 2014. Taylor Kennedy’s Blog. Taylor Kennedy. 14 December 2014 <https://sites.vmi.edu/kennedytm1558/2014/10/09/an-art-teacher-from-a-university-in-kyiv-was-attacked-on-92314-in-kontraktovasquare-by-militants-for-his-views-how-can-we-allow-this-to-continue-euromaidan/>.
  • —. “Can Art Change Policy?” 14 December 2014. Taylor Kennedy’s Blog. Taylor Kennedy. 14 December 2014 <https://sites.vmi.edu/kennedytm1558/2014/12/15/can-art-change-policy/>.

 

How is modern art displayed to its viewers, and what is the job of a curator to the modern art culture? What is their influence on society and its opinions based the messages conveyed by the works shown?

With the fall of communism, eastern Europe’s art scene began to take on a completely new form and began to present new works of art that were not previously displayed. Curators would begin to take charge of museums and art galleries throughout the east and present these new revolutionary works.

Without Soviet control these curators were allowed to showcase whatever art they desired in their galleries. New post modern artist began to emerge in these galleries, taking their new found freedoms to their advantage to showcase revolutionary art that conveyed new messages that were previously censored by the communist régime.

Curators saw this new art and openly and actively pursued to present it to the public. The position of the curator of a museum of gallery was one of the most influential to the newly discovered art scene. They had the ability to create new narratives about art and dominate how the new art movement was formed.

Without these new curators taking advantage of the positions they were in, the modern art movement in Eastern Europe may have not grown to become as influential on its observers as it was. The curators shaped the movement by presenting works they saw as the most revolutionary and influential at the time. If not for their work this art would not have gained the recognition it did, in turn possibly shifting the entire post soviet art movement in a different direction.

Curators are essential to the art movement still today in dictating what art is displayed for public view. Without curator’s, art would be displayed throughout public view and not gain the recognition it deserves or receive the wrong recognition for its perceived message. They are the essential part of the art movement by coordinating and collecting works to be displayed together. Without Curators, art would undoubtedly move in a different direction in society then it does.

Artifact 1

During the early 1900’s World War broke out between countries due to a variety of factors that lead to conflict. Though many countries did not want to enter into the conflict they were drawn in and in the case of the U.S. was to prevent further spread of the war.

One of the biggest conflicts the world has seen came about in the past century as some of the largest, most powerfully countries in the world all took place in war against each other; not only once, but twice. The World Wars were began based on conflict that arose between countries due to invasion and other factors, then brought more countries into the war due to different alliances these countries had created. During the Second World War the two biggest powerhouses who were in conflict with each other were Germany and the United States of America. The United States did everything in its power to stay out of the war, but ended up joining in December 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The conflict between the U.S. and Germany could be classified as preventative war prior to 1941 since the U.S. was doing everything within its power to stay out of conflict, knowing that if it joined it had nothing to gain from the conflict. This conflict however can also be argued as Preemptive war, as some historians will claim conflict between the two opposing forces was inevitable. In this situation whichever country to strike force would have the competitive advantage, where America was the first to strike, it was due to a third-party intervention in the conflict. Due to Japans attacks on the U.S. in Pearl Harbor America was forced into the conflict due to military force in order to protect itself and to try and achieve the desired outcome, one that would favor the U.S. Since both sides of the conflict expect outcomes that favor themselves this puts them into the war region of the conflict model. The actions taken by each side will ultimately decide which country is victorious in the conflict, though the model does lean in favor of America.

Utopia or Heterotopia: Where and how do they exist? How can we justify space into one of these categories?

This weeks reading of “Of Other Spaces: Utopias and Heterotopias” by Michel Foucault was one of the most interesting, yet complicated and confusing pieces of text we have read in this class. It requires one to think about things in a new perspective. What exactly is a Utopia or Heterotopia in our society? Does it truly exist, and if so where? How can we justify a space as either of these? And if it is neither, then what is this space?

Before a space can be classified to one of these categories you must understand exactly what a Utopia or a Heterotopia is. Webster’s Dictionary defines a Utopia as an imaginary place in which everything is perfect, though if it is only imaginary and does not exist no space can properly be classified as utopian. So if a space is not utopian is must be heterotopian, but how can we prove this true? A heterotopia is defined by Foucault as space that functions under non-hegemonic conditions; or a space where no one has true control, is not freely accessable, yet serves a function in relation to those in the space.

space-sunrise

Foucault gives us six principles that define to us exactly what justifies a heterotopias space. Each principle with its own example and with a quality that makes you wonder what other spaces may have these same qualities. The best example given though to a heterotopias space is a boat. The boat is a space with no true place that exists on its own over time and is not freely accessible to others. The boat serves as a heterotopia floating around in space. But what other space holds these same characteristics as the boat, a space that is separate from space?

New York Times Square

However if we take a step back and think about what exactly makes up a heterotopia we can begin to see that almost all space can fit into this classification, an example being a town square. At first we see the square and think that there is no way it is a heterotopia since it is public space, it can be freely accessed, and constitutes as an exact place, where a heterotopia does not. This is where we are wrong; it is not the exact place, but the space within the square that constitutes the heterotopia. Also, even though it seems like a space that may be freely accessable, there is a slight cost to entering the square, ranging from dealing with the propaganda surrounding the square, the other people in the square, there are things that make the space not ideal and is ultimately the cost for entering the space. The Square is also linked to time, meaning that several different heterotopias could all take place within the same square due to different activities occurring in the square at different times. And lastly, there is not one culture or group within the square at a time, staying consistent with the principles that constitute this space as a heterotopia.

We may see a space and not see how it can be classified as anything, but that is not the reality. Though a Utopia may not exist, all other spaces can constitute a heterotopia based on the principles set forth by Foucault. Any and all spaces consist of one or more heterotopias interacting with each other and creating different heterotopias in the space.