Decolonizing Artistry: Part Two
By Tim Dillinger and Ray Curenton
This is the second installment of a two-part writing exploring decolonization and the arts. Click here to read Part One.
What is the difference between commercial art and revolutionary art — and can they ever be one?
If we are going to contrast commercial art with revolutionary art we should probably provide our understandings of each first. We define commercial art as art that is crafted for the purpose of mass consumption. It is created with the intention of reaching the largest span of people possible to make the greatest amount of profits. Commercial art is rooted in segmentation. It is not deliberately political or personal — intended to be like the dog the American family buys to appear complete, but does not want to have too much attention or love. It is there for decoration. Or distraction. Filler noise to kill the dead air space. Therefore, whether it is music, film, or literature, commercial art must be created in a way that is “accessible” to “everyday” folks — meaning the people who are content with the way things are and who do not want their lives interrupted by messaging that is too “troubling” or “provocative.”
The goal of revolutionary art is to get back to the root of art; to create with a radical objective that promotes the holistic, liberated aesthetic.
If commercial art is as defined above then revolutionary art is purposefully designed to counter it. Revolutionary art is birthed out of resistance and crafted as an alternative voice. It awakens one’s insides. It tickles, pokes, and punches the part of one’s life that has been lulled to sleep or anesthetized. Sometimes that awakening is met with exhilaration, sometimes it is met with great anger, but it never leaves room for one to be neutral. It works to dismantle the legitimacy of the current industrial hegemony and tear down the walls of the current white supremacist capitalist patriarchal framework. Revolutionary art also works in tandem with socio-political justice movements to inspire activism against all systemic oppression. The goal of revolutionary art is to get back to the root of art; to create with a radical objective that promotes the holistic, liberated aesthetic. While revolutionary artists still need resources (some monetary) for the quality of their life and art, monetization/commoditization is not an objective for revolutionary art. A revolutionary artist will continually strive to find ways to create and disseminate their unwavering revolutionary art in spite of (or even possibly, with the aim of) commercial failure.
Because commercial art is created with a primary (if not sole) purpose of maintaining cultural status quo, a work of art cannot simultaneously be both commercial and revolutionary. Revolutionary art cannot be nurtured or sponsored by the machine. Why would it be? So many of the artists who we consider revolutionary produced works in the music industry during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s that are out of print today — not even available on iTunes — and they are largely erased from the narrative of music history. That’s the reward for being a revolutionary inside of the corporate machine. These voices are never, ever accepted by the mainstream. Once they are, we promise you, they are no longer revolutionary. Their art changes and becomes like elevator muzak, or the artist will die, literally and/or figuratively. As aspiring young artists, we used to believe there could be revolutionary art coming from “the inside.” We were taught in the church to be “all things to all people” and many people believe they are happy doing that, but, to us, this motivation robs the artist of their fire. Revolutionary artists are not the ones who set the trends — they are the ones who buck them.
Resisting the Colonization of Art
Creating a space for artists to write books or make albums about topics that are uncomfortable for the general public to see or hear is one of the key ways we will resist colonization of expression. We can do this by entering into coalition/collaboration with other artists whose stories are underrepresented by the mainstream. With this in mind, we are not interested in the commodification of art or the exploitation of artists. As we’ve articulated, there is an idea in our culture about what art is now, and it is limited to creating a sellable object — its success determined by how many sells, views, streams, or clicks that object gets. That is a backwards form of creating and it is certainly not how or why art should be created. By our very existence we are challenging mainstream poli-economic models for the music and publishing industries. Our intention is not to sell thousands of copies of books or albums, but rather to create them and help them find their way to the people who hold a desire to read/hear/see them.
Imagination Fury Arts is founded to cultivate a radical space for the appreciation of politically-themed music and literary works as transcendent artforms. We will continue to challenge the collective psychology around art by a) countering the idea of “branding” and forms of trend-centered marketing and b) encouraging more active engagement with the ideas, mastery, and spirituality inherent in truly brilliant creative works. We will create materials that aid in the consciousness raising process, and our goal is to establish community for the liberation of revolutionary minds.
Why a Blog?
Like literature and music creation, blogging has also become a form that is far too often influenced by the hyperconsumption of the mass media complex. As independent thinkers on social media, the past few years have absolutely worn us down as bloggers consistently churn out long think pieces about current events that post within 24 hours of each events’ trending. Why bother having an alternative, public writing platform if it’s only going to strengthen the messaging of corporate interests? This kind of writing is problematic for us because it is reactionary and does not give the writer the time to assemble all of the facts, or to even accurately process the happenings to write with any form of contemplation.
Where is the common thread between a student of music, a student of literature, a student of academia, and a student of life?
We’ve opted to create this blog centered around larger topics that give us space to write from our own experiences versus writing about breaking news stories that haven’t yet fully been investigated or understood. We’re interested in developing community with people who are much less entranced by “current events” and are more interested in tackling larger, and maybe more abstract, issues.
We think the intention behind a blog is important as well. Imagination Fury Speaks isn’t set on idealizing notions of changing the world, but, rather, making a statement concerning what we believe about the matters that are important to us. Our blog will be yet another place for us to brainstorm and develop our revolutionary ideas. As artists, we don’t see very many open spaces where singers/songwriters/music producers/authors/poets/publishers are encouraged to think, let alone share their politics for fear of alienating their “market”. Neither the music and publishing industries nor celebrity culture have the education or self-actualization of artists in their best interests. Where is the common thread between a student of music, a student of literature, a student of academia, and a student of life? By pulling all of these voices together, we will attempt to answer that question and reinforce our purpose to reclaim the artforms of writing and music as essential, radical expression.
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