ART & STORIES MATTER
Dog Chronicle #3
If you landed on Tarantula: Authors and Art for the very first time or are a new subscriber, the Dog Chronicle is a new editorial piece that looks at the world through the POV of a puppy and hints to the readers the theme of the month. What kind of a puppy are we talking about? A very curious chocolate toy or miniature poodle; he still isn’t sure of his real size. If a friend forwarded you this article about our hero, welcome; if you like it, share it or think of subscribing.
Ok, I have to admit, I am exhausted.
Words escape me, they chaotically swirl in my head, not connecting, not digging deep enough to create meaning when images of acts of hate flash from my screens. Art suddenly seems like high culture that doesn’t really matter, so why write about it?
At the same time, Wolfie, our protagonist, a bit of a villain this time around, became a barking dog in the last two weeks, a defender of his family and apartment. It sounds cute, except that it is hard to have friends over, and meaningful connections are much needed this 41st day of the war in Ukraine, as well as after watching the elections in Serbia and Hungary over the weekend because our hearts started bleeding just a little.
Don’t we have enough stories and paintings and photographs to remind us of atrocities in history? What is even scarier is how governments use art, myths and stories to convince their people that they are victims and not aggressors, that they are under a threat and not the other; images and words are used as weapons to control a people and start a war on fake premisses. I understand that there is a lot of generational deep trauma that needs to be addressed as the majority believe the stories told by their governments without questioning them.
Hm, that makes me wonder what burden is Wolfie carrying from his ancestors since he feels the need to show that he is such a big guy in a small body by barking constantly?
Last month, while desperately searching for a place where Wolfie could spend a few nights while we travel, we realized that freedom is not a given anymore, but something that we desperately needed to seek and fight for. And while I was asking around for a temporary home, getting frustrated that the trip won’t happen because of our hero, images of brave women and children escaping the war emerged. What surprised me was to see how many people brought their pets with them!
I am sure all of you saw the photo of the German Shepherd being carried on the back of their owner towards the Polish border; or heard the story of an Indian student who didn’t want to leave Ukraine because his dog couldn’t leave the country due to the lack of papers.
Passports? Vaccines?
(A mental note to make an appointment with the vet for Wolfie to become a citizen of the free world!)
We did find a loving family to take care of Wolfie; and since I wasn’t there with him, it was a journey that I can’t write about, but he did come back to us a little bit different. It took a few days for him to relax and remember who we are, but then he felt somehow clingy, and more protective. He is still young and he needs to adjust and learn, but I keep on thinking about all the displaced Ukrainian women and children who fled. They might think that they will come back home, but who can guarantee that it will happen? Will they even want to go back once the war is over? I know, I always wanted to but never returned. And now the identity of the country I left is nothing that I recognize as my own.
Words continue to swirl, my own experience of the destruction of the country of my birth, former Yugoslavia, merges with new stories from Ukraine. Some days, it is hard to function even though 30 years have passed, and even though I personally didn’t have to run away from soldiers and tanks.
I wish this story was a story of the past, but with images coming from Ukraine of 2 million displaced people seeking safety, this is the story in the NOW. One can argue that this is the human story, but with fake borders that we fight for, we forget that this land does not belong to us, we should have the right to roam freely.
The goal of life is rapture. Art is the way we experience it. Art is the transforming experience.
— Joseph Campbell
When that feeling that I don’t belong anywhere grips me hard and swirls me to the underground and back, I hold onto stories, art and creativity to put the current chaos into some order. Art in any shape or form lets us dream, release our emotions and make us feel safe. One day, when this disaster is over, stories and art will hold people accountable, give us a blueprint to built a brighter future, and heal our bodies and souls.
Just ask Wolfie! When the banging and loud noises are gone, and the people who don’t live in our apartment leave our home, the barking is gone. Wolfie, happily wags his tail, cuddles and then curls up into a fluffy coil to continue dreaming.
Can you share with us a book or piece of art that helped you go through times of turmoil?
The roles of artists in war are plenty. I saw reports of Ukrainian artists creating bullet proof vests, refugees finding their way to canvases and creating and selling their art to send money back to Ukraine, actresses and actors cooking food in the empty theatre for thousand of soldiers. One elderly actress said that now that the war has started, the world of theatre became silent.
This month, we decided to introduce to you two artists Daria Alyoshkina whose works you will be seeing for the first two weeks of April and Iryna Maksymova whose art we will introduce shortly. We want to break the silence and give Ukranian art an audience by sharing a few more links to celebrate it:
DakhaBrakha
Cinema of Ukraine
Dakh Daughters Cabaret
In honour of our Ukrainian artists, we will donate all new yearly paid subscriptions that we get during the month of April to help Ukraine.
If you currently can’t help financially, help us spread the word! In addition to following Daria’s majestic work on Tarantula: Authors and Arts’ Substack page, follow us on Instagram for more of her art @tarantula_authors_and_art
#Slava Ukraini
Yes Art & Stories matter. There are no borders for art & stories. Only love and appreciation.