Key Term Video: Art Activism

KEY TERM VIDEO: ART ACTIVISM.

Jorge Aguilar, Shades of Noir

Activist art is a term used to describe art that is grounded in the act of ‘doing’ and addresses political or social issues.

TATE

The aim of activist artists is to create art that is a form of political or social currency, actively addressing cultural power structures rather than representing them or simply describing them.

People that defend the practice of art activism believes that we’re moved by affective experiences to do physical actions that result in concrete effects: Affect leads to Effect

According to The Center for Artistic Activism (2018)

Cognitive science suggests we make sense of our world through stories and symbols that frame the information we receive and then act accordingly.

People don’t share policy papers, they share things that move them.

C4AA

It has been used to make awareness of different issues such as: Feminism, apartheid, spanish civil war, racism among others. Art activism can be practiced anywhere And it’s not limited to a physical space.

One example of art activism that can reach millions of people is the singer/artist M.I.A.

Coming to London as a refugee from Sri Lanka at the age of 8. A former student from Central Saint Martins. She is famous for the political and social

justice subjects she inputs in her songs.

M.I.A.’s commentary on the oppression of Sri Lankan Tamils, Palestinians and African Americans has drawn praise and criticism worldwide.

Another example could be Banksy, a grafitti artist, who has been throwing his politically pointed, satirical, clever and often funny pieces all around the world.

Pussy Riot - A Russian feminist punk rock group who have dealt with various politically charged themes such as feminism, LGBT rights, democracy, freedom of speech and opposition to Vladimir Putin.

Artistic activism creates an opportunity to bypass seemingly fixed political ideas and moral ideals and remap cognitive patterns

C4AA

“If anything, art is... about morals, about our belief in humanity. Without that, there simply is no art.”

Ai Weiwei

https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=kOCSgz2hPI&feature=youtu.be