Art as nationalist myth infrastructure

Artistic works (films, novels, exhibitions) can be intentionally engineered to serve as infrastructural myth nodes that political projects draw on when legitimacy is weak. Directors, curators and cultural producers become upstream actors in political legitimation by shaping symbolic repertoires—especially in crisis moments—so cultural production is effectively part of the ecosystem of state‑building. — Recognizing art as infrastructure reframes cultural funding, censorship debates, and cultural diplomacy as integral to political strategy and national cohesion, not just aesthetics.