Satirical Illustrations and Militant Improvisations: A Multimodal Social-Semiotic Analysis of Mazen Kerbaj’s Wartime Art

Abstract

This article addresses “Starry Night,” an improvised musical piece recorded by Mazen Kerbaj as a “duet” with the Israeli Air Force during the Lebanese-Israeli 2006 war. Using a multimodal social-semiotic framework, I argue that the artist’s improvisations, illustrations, and online rhetoric formed a controversial multimodal ensemble, which contributed powerfully to the global call for the cessation of war and transformed Kerbaj’s perspectives on socio-politically engaged art. I conclude that this case study elucidates the power of new media channels in propelling acts of symbolic cultural violence unto a worldwide audience of witnesses, thereby transforming subjectivities and inciting people to action.