In
authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, independent media outlets are either
limited or non-existent. Public discourse is replaced by controlled narratives
produced by those in power, and propaganda and intimidation become key tools
for maintaining control. One of the emblematic cases is Belarus, where
independent journalism virtually disappeared after 1994, when Lukashenko came
to power. Early attempts to expose corruption were quickly suppressed —
a notable example being the report on presidential abuses prepared by MP Sergei
Antonchik, which was never published. Newspapers were printed with blank spaces
on their pages after last-minute bans. Since then, most media have either been
liquidated or taken over entirely full state controlby
the state, functioning solely as instruments of radical
propaganda. The story remained in memory as a fact of newspapers published with
blank spots, a symbol of an unspoken story.
In systems like the Belarusian regimeregimes
like that which controls Belarus,
symbols are important; however, but
national symbols lose their meaning when they are stripped of
their historical substance. Instead, they are used to instilinstill
obedience and fear. Flags and slogans serve a decorative function, while state
media suppresses dissent and simulates unity. After the 2020 protests, I began
collecting copies of state propaganda newspapers, believing they might be the
last editions printed by the regime. However, the collapse never came; instead,
control over the press intensified and evolved into an even more sophisticated
machinery of censorship and manipulation.
In my installation, I use these newspapers to refer to the long-standing
practice of using state flags to decorate the city —
a tradition dating back to the Soviet period. The red-and-green flags that line
the streets —
their design endorsed through rigged referenda —
are not true national symbols, but rather emblems of imposed conformity. This
form reflects the persistent visual strategies employed by such regimes. Like
the propaganda press, these symbols are imbued with fear, hatred and resentment
— not by accident, but as deliberate instruments of governance.
