Art as a medium of peace

Peace has always been primordial facet of human society

Peace has always been a primordial facet of human society to attain and maximise mutual co-existence and expand the circles of empathy and morality. Different mediums are being incorporated into different eras of human civilisational maturity in order to maintain peace and harmony among fellow beings. Art has been used as a transitional tool for ensuring peace, resolving conflicts, restoring order and fostering understanding to facilitate peace. Digital art and advocacy have evolved from physical art forms like paintings, sculptures, writings and performances over time. In contemporary society, art is a popular cultural trait to popularise diplomacy, negotiation, dialogues and activism for peace and order in society.

Art has different mediums. In mobile societies, participatory art (PA) is a socially acceptable medium for conveying and orienting discourse about peace. In the context of Pakistani Society, Laal Band by Taimoor Rehman, Professor of Political Economy at LUMS, is a mainstream manifested form of PA being utilised for expanding the circles of empathy and compassion for mutual coexistence among different units of society. The Laal Band is vocal in spreading the message of peace and harmony among all stakeholders of society.

PA doesn’t stand only for peace but for engaging the community and coming generations for awareness and educating them about the social currency of differences and dissent for diversification of existence.

Policies can be developed using art to address the differences between dissenters within the state and ensure long-term peace by addressing the grievances of these dissenters. For example, through art, the government can collect data by employing different art exhibitions, art performances and art-based functions. This would be an immersed and longitudinal research facility where data from art mediums can be utilised to understand the potential problems in society that could challenge the existing order, and institutionalise the policy coursework to ensure peace in conflicted regions or zones where peace is vulnerable.

Climate change is an existential threat to the stable continuation of human existence. Art can address this issue to ensure lasting peace. For instance, an art-based exhibition on environmental degradation through installations, sculptures and performances draws attention to ecological disasters and prompts action for peaceful coexistence between humanity and the planet.

Pakistan is a diverse society where different ethnicities and minorities exist. Cultural differences between these factions have always been a matter of debate. Art is a powerful medium to bridge the gaps and is used as a tool for cultural reconciliation. In areas scarred by historical disputes or cultural divides, art fronts as a bridge, stimulating reconciliation and compassion. Collaborative art projects, implicating myriad cultural classes, are performed to commemorate shared origin, facilitating a sense of harmony and recovery of harms of history. The idea to invite different strata of society to any exhibition, conference or gathering where the art-based visual screening could produce the idea of past mutuality, same origin and rich history of ancestors to live together in the past is the green pasture for promoting peace among all the estranged components of society.

Depression has killed more people than terrorism in the last few years. It is a contagious disease. The underlying complex interplay of emotions continuously places human beings in a situation of disturbance. At an individual level, the medium of art can be a great friend in the volatile society of emotional disturbance where abstract art and surreal art can be incorporated as a catalyst for Subconscious Peace. Art can influence emotions, shaping attitudes and subtly influencing perceptions. It would be a great opportunity for individual beings to provoke introspection and foster subconscious inclinations toward harmony.

From simple societies to compound societies, art has always been integral to shaping the transition of society. It is required to utilise the huge potential of art to ensure stability, order, harmony and peace in society for a lasting impression on human beings.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 28^th, 2023.

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