F NEWS QUESTION
For the month of February, F News asked:
Do you respond to current events/politics in your artwork? Is activism something artists should concern themselves with?
I respond to current and political events in my art if they
have a strong emotional or intellectual effect on me, not out of any sense of
responsibility to do so. My art comes from my own inner landscape, and if something
happening in the world around me affects me deeply, it will be reflected in
my work.
I think it is part of my job as an artist to respond to current
events and politics with the art I create. Artists can help raise public awareness
by creating work that exposes different aspects of current issues than the ones
that are usually represented by news services. It is important to use art as
a tool to make people think.
I think it is part of my job as an artist to respond to current
events and politics with the art I create. Artists can help raise public awareness
by creating work that exposes different aspects of current issues than the ones
that are usually represented by news services. It is important to use art as
a tool to make people think.
Activism is at the heart of my art. We as artists have been
given the opportunity to comment on culture. At the center of culture is politics.
You ignore politics at your own peril. In most other countries artists lead
the way in matters of social discourse, walking with the rank and file. In America,
too often artists pander to the elite, the powerful, and the monied class. They
provide amusement, and diversion, instead of the reality check that is so sorely
needed.
Yes, I respond to everything in my artwork. My art is my response
to life on this planet, in my community, on life’s terms. Artists should
be very concerned with activism since the world hand basket is squarely set
to land in Hell at any moment. Art is a powerful and often non-verbal language
that can be understood across borders, faiths, and cultures.
Though I do think it is important to know about current events
and politics to better understand the work of others and to generally be aware
of one’s surroundings, it’s hardly ever a part of my own art. I
actually tend to respond to more universal and obscure subject matters. Now,
you may ask, aren’t politics and current events pretty darn universal
subjects? Yes and no. Yes, in the general sense that everyone knows about these
events but no, because in using their context in work, you also taint it with
your own views which makes it more controversial, and therefore not universal.
My work tends to try to relate with personal thought processes and emotions,
and generally has a funny, happy-go-lucky attitude towards these processes and
emotions. News seems to be too depressing and I make art to make people smile,
as a personal escape from the world around me.
I believe that different people have different approaches and that’s great.
That way, there is diversity in art. However, in my personal work, activism
is not at all important. Generally, most artists at the school seem to be very
liberal. I am pretty moderate with my beliefs. I do have some liberal views
but I do have some conservative views as well and this is often problematic
with peers. I sometimes have a bitter disposition towards activists, just because
of a whole new wave of young people who are into activism are hard to talk with
about other subject matters. I don’t personally believe that artists should
be any more or any less concerned with activism as any other person. Many artists
choose not to incorporate current events in their work at all, and activism
is irrelevant to their work. However, those who do address political subject
matter may find it beneficial to take part in activism as a point of departure
and as a source for inspiration in their work.
No. Art looks for something eternal.
I have responded to current events in the past, and just recently,
politics in my art (I did a painting with text and images of the Columbine massacre
when it happened). Recently, I made a movie titled Red, a film mostly in black,
white, and red, expressing my anti-war comments. I am not passive about politics;
I am just not completely knowledgeable on everything there is to know.
People today are more passive about making activism a part of their everyday
lives, including myself. It seems that joining the Army or Navy is easier than
collecting teens to twenty-somethings for anti-war marches in a national effort!
That is too bad. I guess our era is just not the “active” type,
or we just do not know how to become involved. I believe that art is a good
way to grab an audience and visually express your mind, but ultimately, what’ll
get you noticed faster is your physical rebellion rather than your artistic
one.
Yes, I respond to everything in my artwork. My art is my response
to life on this planet, in my community, on life’s terms. Artists should
be very concerned with activism since the world hand basket is squarely set
to land in Hell at any moment. Art is a powerful and often non-verbal language
that can be understood across borders, faiths, and cultures.