Art as a Catalyst for Dialogue: Exploring Motivations and Methods in Contemporary Artistic Practices

Abstract

This thesis investigates how the contemporary artists Kawita Vatanajyankur, Akram Zaatari, and Alia Ali deploy their art practices to catalyze dialogue, foster reflection, and engage with social and political issues. Drawing on feminist, postcolonial, and dialogic theory, the research situates their work within discourses of gender, identity, and collective memory. A qualitative methodology is employed: semi-structured interviews with each artist and thematic analysis of their responses and artworks reveal key themes and motivations.

Key findings reveal that each artist’s practice creates participatory, narrative spaces that challenge dominant narratives and promote social awareness. Vatanajyankur’s performance and video works critique gendered labor and power structures, using embodied metaphors and technology to provoke critical reflection. Zaatari’s archival and filmic projects reframe historical memory and media imagery, encouraging dialogue about postwar identity, migration, and cultural heritage. Ali’s multimedia installations and textile-based projects address postcolonial and feminist issues, using pattern and language to invite viewers into conversations about diaspora, citizenship, and representation. Across cases, themes of empowerment, cultural resilience, and reflexivity emerge.

The study concludes that these artists’ practices function as dialogic interventions that contribute to social sustainability and collective awareness. It demonstrates how such creative processes promote community engagement and critical consciousness within sustainable art discourse. The thesis is structured with a literature review of relevant theories, followed by case study analyses of each artist, thematic findings, and a concluding discussion of key themes and thematic intersections.