Our third meeting explored trauma in the field of visual arts. Eduardo Guerra (University of Technology, Sydney), who researches transgenerational trauma in the artistic representation of dictatorship in Brazil, made a presentation that touched on art as means to work through a traumatic experience, what also occurs in art therapy. He also explored the art as depictions of the horrors of the war, like Picasso’s Guernica and commented on works that avoid straightforward depictions of atrocities, and has a rather indirect way to deal with it, as Eric Kennington’s “Over The Top”. The depiction of conflicts is often associated with collective trauma that has been witnessed, directly or indirectly, by the artist. Picasso's painting mentioned above played an important role in denouncing the bombing of the Spanish town of Guernica (1937) by the German Air Force. The painting and the artist’s political position converged anti-war opinions worldwide and anti-dictatorship criticism. The presentation also explored the field of Art History: Francisco Goya’s works were examples of an artist’s intention to depict the intensity of human feelings, in particular, human suffering. 

Evgeniya Kartashova (Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus – Senftenberg, Dept. of Heritage Studies), whose research focuses on former KGB prisons that were turned into museums, made a presentation on the role similar initiatives play in society. Representation of the past in a memorial museum is both a challenge and a target that has political, artistic, and educational nuances. In these places, often “never again” is an ethical imperative that can help to prevent political violence from happening around the globe. The creation of a museum dedicated to the collective memory of traumatic episodes symbolizes that the nation’s government acknowledges their past of horror and wants to repair it. This may result in political gain - a better reputation in the international arena. Though the motivation for reconstructing memory may not be always “pure”, they do help to widen the debates regarding collective trauma. These spaces are often associated with the promotion of human rights and a set of values that opposes dictatorship, intolerance, and repression. They spread the perspective of a common memory across a nation, as well as internationally. By creating installations to involve the visitor or by personifying particular events, these spaces generate an emotional impact on the visitor. Moreover, the research and information displayed in exhibitions legitimize the traumatic narrative to a varied audience. 

  The presentations were followed by a discussion that took into account the other fields of studies.