The Morphology of War was conceived in 2017 as a project of large-scale digital murals. It focuses on the idea that each society gives birth to its own monsters. In a time of war and under the influence of propaganda, they procreate. Friends change their form and become enemies-unfamiliar, grotesque, and potentially dangerous. They experience severe morphological changes. This project reflects the ugliness of Russian military aggression and the initial hybrid warfare that distorted the image of the “other.” It is also an exploration of how deeply destructive instincts are rooted in visual culture, using images from medieval bestiaries and beyond. The continuous line of monsters is reminiscent of the symbolism of the danse macabre taken by Ingmar Bergman for the conclusion of his film The Seventh Seal.
This project has been shown at the National Center of Arts in Mexico City, London School of Economics and Political Sciences in London, Estonian Museum of Contemporary Art in Tallinn, Taras Shevchenko National Museum in Kyiv, Erasto Cortés Museum in Puebla, East Hawaii Cultural Center in Hilo, National Museum of Cultures in Mexico City, #00 Biennial in Havana, and 5th International Biennial of Odesa, among many others.
It has been featured as a contribution to Daedalus. Journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Vol. 152, Issue 2 (MIT Press).
Svitlana Biedarieva 