A display dedicated to the South Ossetian war of 2008 has opened in Moscow on National Unity Day. Titled ‘Art against War’ it will showcase photographs taken during the war by photojournalists, as well as videos from the Emergency Ministry’s archives and

The display at Arma 17 in central Moscow will reveal the horrors the people faced during the tragic events of August 2008. Many of the photographs were from media reports and some of the video material might have appeared on television. However, the display gives a full image of what that war was really like.

The first floor exhibits a unique collection of photographs by Ria Novosti news agency reporters, three of whom died during the war. Other photographs were taken by Emergency Ministry staff. They capture the deaths, broken families, destroyed houses, pain and suffering of the people.

Along with documentary materials the display also features art depicting Ossetian tradition and people, as well as views of the country. The South Ossetian Embassy has contributed several paintings by artist Hsar Gassiev showing Tskhinval and its residents before the war. Most of these works were created in the early 1980s.  

Another highlight of the display is a series of works by Ossetian artist Igor Lotiev. These works depict the beliefs of the Ossetian people. According to the artist he tried to show the rich culture of the Ossetian people and their saints, which have never previously been embodied in art.

At the opening of the exhibition, the director Janik Faziev presented a trailer of his upcoming movie ‘August 2008’, which is due out in February 2012.

Cultural officials representing both the Russia and the South Ossetia attended the opening of the display along with people who worked and fought for people’s lives in the name of a better future.