My two posters called “Courage” and “Bravery” tell the story of my strong nation - its sacrifices and losses, strengths and weaknesses, vices and virtues. I am proud of my descent, proud to be from a place that has suffered so much destruction but managed to rise up from the ashes. I can’t say that we are stronger, as our nation suffers cultural and political oppression to this day. However, I can confidently state that my people have stayed loyal to their culture and upheld the morals that define who they are.

 

My goal in creating these posters was to illustrate the Chechen spirit. I wanted to show that not only men fought in the Chechen wars, but women and young boys. Every single person took it as their duty to protect their homes, families and their own dignity from the attackers. This entire project I dedicated to educating people on the history of my small, but mighty republic. I hope that the person reading this has found out something new for himself, and maybe even become inspired to explore more into the subject.

 

The black ink patterns in my art work are meandering, swirling, wrapping themselves around the subjects like a snake around its prey. The black symbolizes everything dark that a war is – it is cruel, it is gruesome, it is indiscriminate. The black is everything we bury deep inside of ourselves, the monsters we let out in situations where we feel afraid, when we are faced with danger. It is bursting out into the open, staining our white, spotless existence and leaving a dark trail in its path.

 

The red is danger. It is anger, it is fury, it is rage. It paints the daisies on her dress, it stains her innocence. But red for me is also power – it is life, a fight FOR life. Even though it pains me to see how much my people endured, I want to tell them that they didn’t suffer in vain – we, the future generations, will remember their names and keep in mind that the ground we now walk on was once stained with their blood.