Art of Witnessing: Documentary Literature, Film and Theater in Eastern Europe and the Baltics

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has reinforced the dynamics of decolonization that had already gained traction after the pollical transformations post-1991. Especially, Ukrainian artists have been creating works that address these traumatizing as well as transformative experiences of the war by keeping records and analyzing the ongoing events at the same time. All over the region, documentary art has counteracted the media wars waged. The book reflects on documentary approaches proving to be an interdisciplinary and collaborative artistic tool in politically charged times.

This volume discusses documentary film, theater, and literature from the 1960s to the 2020s in Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, and the Baltic states with a focus on contemporary practices. Methodologically innovative case studies address contemporary "witness art"--for example verbatim theater and spoken word poetry. The contributions expand on the political, medial, and aesthetic developments that shaped Soviet attitudes towards documentary arts. The essays outline how these concepts still influence contemporary practices, but also present new developments in documentary aesthetics in the region.