Art Activism- a hybrid practice that marries the creative force of art to the concrete results of activism. Common definitions of “art” and “activism” are often restrictive. Instead of perpetuating an idea of artists as separate, magical beings, artistic activism allows us to cultivate the creativity we all already have.
The art work "Zapatista Air Force" represents the air force of the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), which wasn't actually an air force but just hundreds of paper airplanes. This so-called air force was against the Mexican Army encampment and the paper airplanes were flown over the razor wire encircling the army camp. On the paper airplanes were written messages to soldiers asking them to put down their weapons. This artwork is important because it shows that despite having no chance in battle against the army, their humor and imagination captured public sympathy and support, creating a political force. "Zapatista Air Force" is an example of art activism because of the political statement it made with art, the art being the hundreds of paper airplanes.
Why Artistic Activism?:
Quote: "Art, on the other hand, tends not to have such a clear target. It’s hard to say what art is for or against; its value often lies in providing us perspective and new ways to envision our world."
Response: I find this statement very common as whenever I look at a piece of art, most of the time I am not sure what message it is trying to give off or what is even happening in the art work.
Quote: " “I’m not political,” is a phrase one hears often; it’s a rare person, however, that doesn’t express them self through some form of creativity."
Response: I agree and am intrigued by the idea that a person that does not express themselves through some form of creativity is a rare person. It really shows how common it is for someone to be able to show off their personality through some sort of art like a painting or a drawing. But, showing who you are without creating something is less common.
An Introduction to Activist Art:
Quote: "War often caused responses from artists and inspired Pablo Picasso’s Guernica, Martha Rosler's series referencing the Vietnam War."
Response: This gives me the idea that war can give a huge inspiration to artists and their work. The art works from this article relate to wars that were going on at the time such as Vietnam.
Quote: "When the public is looking away from suffering that could be prevented or does not want to be confronted with it, activist art often creates a dialogue and forces people to think about these problems."
Response: This quote is very true as whenever a crisis is going on in the world, people prefer to look the other way and act as if nothing is happening. I like how activist art addresses this common situation.
The 25 Most Influential Works of American Protest Art Since World War ll:
Quote: "By the time President Reagan finally uttered the word “AIDS” in 1985, 12,000 Americans had already died."
Response: This piece of art work and quote informs me how lack of attention the crisis of AIDS was given. The media infamously ignored this situation even when thousands of lives were already taken.
Quote: "In September 1971, after years of mistreatment and months of simmering tensions, more than 1,200 of the 2,200 inmates at the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York took control of the prison in protest of its substandard conditions and openly racist corrections officers."
Response: "I find it fascinating how prisoners would protest for better living conditions. Prison isn't usually known to be a five star location, but prisoners protesting to improve their living conditions really shows how bad the Attica Correctional Facility really was."
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