Art and war – The expression of art in Ukraine since the 24th of February 2022
Publish date: 2025-05-28
Report number: FOI-R--5761--SE
Pages: 49
Written in: Swedish
Keywords:
- the arts
- culture
- war
- Ukraine
- trauma
- stress
- resilience
- resistance
Abstract
In 2024 the Psychological Defence Agency (MPF) commissioned the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) to carry out an assessment of how art has been expressed and used in Ukraine since the full scale invasion in February 2022. This report presents the results of this study. The study has been based on three main questions: - What artistic expressions can be identified in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion in 2022? - How do these expressions relate to the ways in which art has been used in war historically? - Based on this - is it possible to see a correlation between art and the will to defend and resilience, two concepts often used in Swedish total defence? The results that are presented in this report are based on a literature review and a study of the Instagram account @Ukraine.ua. The result of the literature review is primarily presented in chapter three, describing why art has been used in Ukraine as well as in what way this art is expressed. The results demonstrate that art has taken many different roles, especially in support of Ukraine. Five more detailed descriptions are made in chapter four to create a deeper understanding of some of the phenomena that emerge in the results. These are done under the headings: poetry; theatre; mural art; music; and the Instagram account @Ukraine.ua. The report also discusses some prominent themes in the material that has been examined: the role of art for handling trauma and stress; the role of art for resilience and resistance; the absence of certain roles that we see that art has had in war historically; as well as the importance of understanding the context of a conflict.