Ideological Shadows of Freedom: The Dark Turn from Delacroix to Breivik 

This work delves into the harrowing actions of Anders Behring Breivik, a Norwegian neo-Nazi terrorist, whose heinous acts in the 2011 Norway attacks shocked the world. Breivik's misguided crusade against multiculturalism led him to bind his victims' fates to his extensive manifest of a revolution for freedom, claiming their lives and futures in the name of his nationalist ideology. This work seeks to analyze Breivik's terrorism within the broader discourse of revolutionary art, drawing a stark contrast to the ideals depicted in historical works such as Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People."

"Liberty Leading the People" commemorates the July Revolution of 1830, symbolizing the triumph of freedom and unity. In juxtaposition, Breivik's actions represent a perversion of the concept of revolution, where nationalism seeks to lead not a collective society towards liberation, but rather to isolate and elevate the individual white man at the expense of innocent lives and diversity. Through this comparison, the work aims to explore the dangerous implications of extreme nationalist ideologies when misappropriated as a banner for revolutionary acts. 

The manifest binds the bodies of victims into the shape of Norway, reminiscent of the deceased figures on the barricades in Delacroix's painting. While this barricade is empty, the individual Anders Behring Breivik left the scene. The bodies morphs into the intricate contours of the Norwegian coast, as defined by the manifesto. Through this visual metaphor, the depth and impact of the manifesto are etched into the very geography of Norway, transforming the national landscape into a somber reflection of nationalism ideology. 

The work aims to engage with the complexities of representing national trauma in art, questioning how extremist ideologies distort the very essence of cultural and national identity by breaking the national fabric. By juxtaposing the ideals of freedom and unity against the isolating forces of nationalism this work.