Sebastian Salfate
I personally investigated how impactful a piece of art can be when it tries to tackle considerable social problem. For this I made a research of a couple of articles that explained the work of two groups. The two group in contrast take different methods to counter attack the systems of control, the economical injustice and power dynamics. Nonetheless both of the groups have radical assumption of the production of art generating work that expands from a didactical or dialectical form of protest to an immersive and active form of political activism. The groups I researched are the Russian based activist group VOINA and the Copenhagen based art group called Superflex.
From both of the articles I could extract interesting thought about the reconsideration of art as a concept and art practice and the method of production.
VOINA:
- VOINA was created by artist Oleg Vorotnikov in 2007. They are usually considered as political pranksters as most of their work stem between the line of mockery, offensiveness, vandalism and public art.
- VOINA has created from performatic orgies to a building-size phallus graffiti in front of ex KGB police departments.
- Both leaders of the group where arrested on November 15th after overturning 7 police cars in Moscow. This piece is one of the most well known of the group and at the same time the most questioned from their piece as it stand in a thin line between art and vandalism. Banksy was responsible for paying the bail.
- The group dissolved on 2010 leaving to different important branches of Russian activism such as The Pussy Riot.
Superflex:
- In 2004 they create a project called "GUARANA POWER" as a response to the monopoly created on Guarana Seeds by multinationals. They created and appropriated the means of mass production to create a local, farmers owned beverage made of Guarana.
-They usually work with alternative use of micro and macro economy in order to revert the power dynamics hold by capitalist power.
- They usually are interested in the vague and usually normative idea of copyright and how art can be a mean of appropriation not only of cultural reference but also appropriation and subversion of economical and societal dialogues.
- They have created substantial help to small business and social injustice by applying well formed, reality based strategies.
-They refer to their strategies as counter-economics.
Question>
a) Is meaningful change always derives from action?
b)What strategy is more beneficial for society? A radical, violent one or one that is rational that uses the mechanism of control as a response?
c)What strategy is more beneficial for the systems of control? One that can be pointed out as pure vandalism or one that show some reverence to the same system that is oppressing them?
d)How radical a piece of art can be to still be considered as such?
e) Can art be considered a radical action in itself? Does society needs to be targeted to be against it?
Bibliography
1. Bradley, Will. Self-Organisation counter-Economic structures. Berlin, Sternberg Press, 2006.
2. Thompson, Nato. Living as Form: Socially Engaged Art From 1991-2011. New York. Creative Time Books, 2012.
3. Walker, Shaun. “The artists who crossed the line.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Feb. 2011, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/the-artists-who-crossed-the-line-2222639.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.
4. “Voina.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Aug. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voina. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.
I personally investigated how impactful a piece of art can be when it tries to tackle considerable social problem. For this I made a research of a couple of articles that explained the work of two groups. The two group in contrast take different methods to counter attack the systems of control, the economical injustice and power dynamics. Nonetheless both of the groups have radical assumption of the production of art generating work that expands from a didactical or dialectical form of protest to an immersive and active form of political activism. The groups I researched are the Russian based activist group VOINA and the Copenhagen based art group called Superflex.
From both of the articles I could extract interesting thought about the reconsideration of art as a concept and art practice and the method of production.
VOINA:
- VOINA was created by artist Oleg Vorotnikov in 2007. They are usually considered as political pranksters as most of their work stem between the line of mockery, offensiveness, vandalism and public art.
- VOINA has created from performatic orgies to a building-size phallus graffiti in front of ex KGB police departments.
- Both leaders of the group where arrested on November 15th after overturning 7 police cars in Moscow. This piece is one of the most well known of the group and at the same time the most questioned from their piece as it stand in a thin line between art and vandalism. Banksy was responsible for paying the bail.
- The group dissolved on 2010 leaving to different important branches of Russian activism such as The Pussy Riot.
Superflex:
- In 2004 they create a project called "GUARANA POWER" as a response to the monopoly created on Guarana Seeds by multinationals. They created and appropriated the means of mass production to create a local, farmers owned beverage made of Guarana.
-They usually work with alternative use of micro and macro economy in order to revert the power dynamics hold by capitalist power.
- They usually are interested in the vague and usually normative idea of copyright and how art can be a mean of appropriation not only of cultural reference but also appropriation and subversion of economical and societal dialogues.
- They have created substantial help to small business and social injustice by applying well formed, reality based strategies.
-They refer to their strategies as counter-economics.
Question>
a) Is meaningful change always derives from action?
b)What strategy is more beneficial for society? A radical, violent one or one that is rational that uses the mechanism of control as a response?
c)What strategy is more beneficial for the systems of control? One that can be pointed out as pure vandalism or one that show some reverence to the same system that is oppressing them?
d)How radical a piece of art can be to still be considered as such?
e) Can art be considered a radical action in itself? Does society needs to be targeted to be against it?
Bibliography
1. Bradley, Will. Self-Organisation counter-Economic structures. Berlin, Sternberg Press, 2006.
2. Thompson, Nato. Living as Form: Socially Engaged Art From 1991-2011. New York. Creative Time Books, 2012.
3. Walker, Shaun. “The artists who crossed the line.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Feb. 2011, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/the-artists-who-crossed-the-line-2222639.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.
4. “Voina.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 Aug. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voina. Accessed 27 Sept. 2017.
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