A REVOLUTIONARY SUMMER PART II - The role of art in activism.
The Summer of 2020 might go down in history as the "burning Summer". But, whereas the Summer of 69 is remembered fondly as a peace gathering of thousands however, this year's live protests and online communication have escalated into severe tension, mental instability and desperation. Still, it is said that when fire burns it also creates space for new things to grow.
While trying to make meaning of all that was happening around me and with society in general, I started questioning another aspect of my role as an artist. The rise of misinformation in the media and government communication and the Black Lives Matter protests forced me to reflect on the impact of my work in the sector. While my previous work had been more focused on movement, bringing awareness to my sector and empowering other artists, I found myself searching for my voice and the affirmation of my values through this enormous conflictual noise. How could I support a fairer society?...Is my role as an artist to comment?... How vocal should I be regarding the issues happening around me?...
Watching actors like John Boyega deliver a passionate speech in the BLM protest in the park almost brought tears to my eyes and when Jane Fonda got arrested again it stirred feelings inside me as an artist that I felt I needed to address and understand. The young actor John Boyega risked his career and put himself in a position where he could have lost many opportunities, yet, he put himself on the line to give voice to the protests. He set the bar high. Jane Fonda who is an accomplished actress and is over 80 years old, showed how age doesn't count when it's time to fight for what we believe is right.
Online, my dance community was posting articles, photos and memes about the Black Lives Matter protests and broken statues. It was a revelation to me however that many of those who purported to offer dance workshops in any class of African diasporic movement were very quiet.
Despite its salacious political nature and roots of funding, the BLM movement is in its basic essence an issue that affects us all, it's a human issue, not a black issue. If a group in society is being treated more unfairly than others it reflects on everyone economically and morally. But, to those who work in areas where they benefit from black culture, it's perhaps even more essential to ensure they show support, or, so I thought. So, while trying to make meaning of all of these conversations I was at the same time shocked with those that were happy to enjoy black culture, but not necessarily support black people.
Artists generally consider themselves agents of change. Whether promoting change in movement, body confidence, climate change or simply providing a platform for awareness, joy and entertainment. Currently, however, in the circumstances we are living art based activism has never been more relevant. There are numerous examples of how the arts intersect with activism. I read an article from The Guardian back in March about artist Ai Weiwei (Ai Weiwei: ‘An artist must be an activist’, 2020) whom I wasn't aware of before, commenting about arts and activism.
I also remember looking at the painting of Jean - Michel Basquiat "Defacement" once in an art book, reading about it and thinking how his political paintings might have affected his career. "Defacement" translates to English as destroying the face of something, so it implies a strong meaning. The painting is about the killing of Michael Stewart, another graphic artist of the time. According to the Guardian article (McClinton, 2020), these two artists shared a circle of friends despite not being close.
“I think Basquiat was aware that this was not just about Michael Stewart or even him, but that there is a history of state violence against the black body” – Chaédria LaBouvier
Bibliography
The Guardian. 2020. Ai Weiwei: ‘An Artist Must Be An Activist’. [online]
McClinton, D., 2020. Defacement: The Tragic Story Of Basquiat's Most Personal Painting. [online] the Guardian.
