Representing genocide comes with many caveats; this is the case for filmic interpretations, memorial structures, and of course artistic renderings that include painting. This talk will explore that there is no straightforward answer to the question of how can one depict mass violence in a way that is not problematic? However, such portrayals are also integral to how information reaches a wider and diverse public outside of a seminar or a museum. Tereza will therefore examine some of the limitations of representation while also considering the essential nature of depicting trauma and mass violence through art by discussing Peter Howson’s important paintings on the war in Bosnia.
Tereza Valny is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Edinburgh in modern history. She teaches courses with a focus on comparative genocide studies that use sources such as survivor testimony, landscapes affected by mass violence, and representations of trauma. Tereza’s current research includes work on films that depict the aftermath of genocide, as well as a project which considers reconciliation in post-genocidal spaces through the lens of landscape.
Representations of Genocide: Peter Howson and Bosnia