Victory over the Victory

“Victory over the Victory” exhibition commenced with extensive and purposeful discussions between situated voices of artists, art practitioners who are directly involved in current anti-war efforts, impacted by the consequences of militarism and the belligerent ideologies of their own or other nation-states, or actively engaged in reflecting on historical and contemporary events. A given socio-historical moment is never homogeneous; on the contrary, it is rich in contradictions. Within the framework of this exhibition, various genealogies with clear positions are collected and juxtaposed. The exhibition is an attempt to highlight the personal affective dimensions of collective history. But what happens when we give a voice to one and deprive another of it?

A voice is always somebody’s voice, and our voices don’t fully represent our identities, which carry traces of the other. Whether it’s the smooth voice of state propaganda, the emotional speech of a leader advocating peace and freedom while justifying notable wars and destruction, the credible voice of a victim, the quiet voice of an observant witness, the silently present voice of the voiceless, or echoing voice of the absent ones?

The artists featured in the exhibition bring voices from different countries and generations. Their works span across time and space, from the aftermath of WWI and WWII to the repercussions of armed conflicts following the dissolution of the former Eastern bloc, decades of occupation in Afghanistan and extend to the ongoing colonial wars in, Ukraine, and the Middle East.

Archival Collection: Arthur Bondar
Text: Sona Stepanyan, Natasha Dahnberg
Curator: Sona Stepanyan, Natasha Dahnberg
Place: Havremagasinet (Sweden)
Year: 2025