An Artivism for the Future
In the beginning of the semester, the Citizen Writer class read When We Fight We Win, a detailed account of various twenty-first century social movements. The book makes ample use of art as part of the author’s collaboration with the art-based activist organization Agitarte. In a designer’s note, the organization explains the role of art in activism as disruptive of cultural hegemony as defined by philosopher Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci describes how dominant cultural ideas and practices come to define our thinking and action, “culture resides within us…wrapped in stories and images and figures of speech, culture is a politics that doesn’t look like politics and is therefore a lot harder to notice, much less resist. When a culture becomes hegemonic, it becomes ‘common sense’ for the majority of the population” (Jobin-Leeds 167).
Agitarte connects Gramsci’s analysis to the role of art in disrupting political hegemony and oppression, “popular movements offer us a rich and powerful tradition of art as resistance, protest and imagination to counter this hegemony” (Jobin-Leeds 167). This explanation served as the inspiration for this video project. Interviewing various socially active artists and art-lovers, we asked them about their understanding of the role of art in activism.
Pamela Martinez-Barrera is an NYUAD Film student and artist from Venezuela. Pamela describes how art is a means of expression where messages that might be socially sanctioned can be communicated:
“It’s very powerful because it goes through even where it is prohibited. It creates a response for its audience that purely informative or factual statements cannot give. It can create a sense of empathy, a sense of belonging, a more emotional connection. It really affects you in a different way.”
To Pamela, film has the power to influence people and change their mindsets, “it touches you and you don’t even realize it.”
Maria Wani, an NYUAD student and illustrator from Pakistan, had a similar response, “art is a way to send messages in visibly appealing formats. Making colorful illustrations, decorations, attracts more people and is a great way to connect with one’s audience.” NYUAD Student and musician Shylina Muthumudalige also discussed the emotional resonance of art and the disruptive aspect of protest art, “the best type of art makes you uncomfortable and question yourselves. When that happens, you know your art has succeeded.”
Yasmine Messaikeh, another interviewee, is a Lebanese dancer who grew up in Abu Dhabi. Yasmine recalled how when the pandemic first broke out there was a survey about essential work. Art was ranked as one of the last in the survey and Yasmine describes how, “there was a lot of backlash from artists because while art isn’t always a priority it is still important. We pointed out how in quarantine everyone was watching movies and listening to music, so how could they disregard art completely.”
Over the summer, Yasmine visited Lebanon and became frustrated with the lack of infrastructure and support for local dancers, only getting worse in the aftermath of Lebanon’s recent social and economic crises: “even in times of crisis I think dance is important, and not just because I’m a dancer and all. Genuinely, if you kill the youth and their art, what is the future of your country? That is what I ask myself.”
These artists and our other video interviewees point to the essential links between art and society. While it may be overlooked or marginalized as a method of social change, it plays an important role in any social movement. Art can draw attention and solidarity to an issue by disrupting the rhetoric of existing regimes of power. Crucially, art is also part of the radical imagination needed to picture and construct a brighter future. In the process of making this video it became clear the resolve and talent of these artists who are shaping how the next generation fights for social justice. They emphasize what German playwright Bertolt Brecht once proclaimed, “art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.”
Works Cited:
Jobin-Leeds, Greg. When We Fight, We Win: Twenty-first-century Social Movements and the Activists That Are Transforming Our World. 2016.
