From “bystander to witness”: The art of mourning and the Veterans’ Art Movement¹

1 A version of this paper has previously been published. See Bassin, D. “Beyond thank you for your service”: The creation of post-war veteran/non-veteran collaborative mourning spaces,” pp. 122–144 in J.L. Alpert and E.R. Goren (eds.), Psychoanalysis, trauma and community: History and contemporary reappraisals, Routledge, 2017.

Abstract

Numerous veterans have observed that one does not heal from war, but rather one learns to surrender to the complicated losses that wartime experiences bring. Veterans have pushed back against stereotyped images of themselves as heroes, victims, or perpetrators. Many have challenged the implications of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a diagnosis, as well as the effectiveness of evidence-based treatment procedures for PTSD. Work emerging from the Veterans’ Art Movement by a poet, a photographer, and a “Combat Paper” maker will be discussed in relation to the tasks of mourning, reparation, and formation of postwar narratives. The work of these veterans offers useful insights into the psychosocial implications of unresolvable traumatic loss, as well as detailed strategies for the creation of therapeutic mourning spaces. Through a variety of artistic practices, veterans have created opportunities to transform themselves and their communities from mere bystanders to attuned witnesses of the dire consequences of war. Their work calls our attention to the therapeutic actions of aesthetic representation and art-making in the communalization of war trauma. Additionally, they expand our understanding of art practices for the identification of postwar losses and the working-through of moral injury.

Key words:

• trauma
• mourning
• veteran
• art
• war
• witness

Notes

1 A version of this paper has previously been published. See Bassin, D. “Beyond thank you for your service”: The creation of post-war veteran/non-veteran collaborative mourning spaces,” pp. 122–144 in J.L. Alpert and E.R. Goren (eds.), Psychoanalysis, trauma and community: History and contemporary reappraisals, Routledge, 2017.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Donna Bassin

Donna Bassin is a clinical psychologist, psychoanalyst, and published author, filmmaker, and fine art photographer. She is an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis and in private practice in New York City. She has directed and produced two feature length documentaries, Leave no soldier, and The mourning after. She consults to the emerging Veterans Art movement and is Vice President of the Board of Directors of Frontline Arts.