Art and Trauma

Abstract Two aesthetic considerations were fundamental to our conceptualization of ‘Art and Trauma’. The first, and perhaps the more notable of the two, was the realization that curated memorials, like the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial or The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, were prima facie evidence of the overwhelming power of aesthetics for transforming wretchedly catastrophic epochs into riveting sites of devastating illumination. We were also, at the same time, profoundly influenced by Nelson Goodman’s philosophy of aesthetics, in particular, his conclusion that even small bits of knowledge, about either an artwork or an artist, can modify how the viewer engages with that artwork. These two insights were then merged into a singular adage, awareness impacts viewers acutely. This is true of Holocaust memorials, where the ghastly artefacts, and the unfathomable story lines, are intrinsic to their aesthetic power, as it is equally true of the discovery that an artist was a victim of inconceivable torment is critical to how their artworks are experienced. It was the composite of those insights which gave birth to ‘Art and Trauma’, certainly as we now conceptualize it. What we ultimately gain from such visions is an unparalleled opportunity to engage with, and learn from, the intuitive side of torment. Understanding the latter is our aesthetic journey.