Politics and Art

After reading this months frieze magazine, I found my eyes were opened more to how interconnecting art and politics have found themselves to be over the years. Many of the articles in frieze showed HOW art has changed things, such as the demonstrations by AIDS group ACT UP, and how their art managed to achieve something that politics alone couldn't. Art has always been allowed a manner of outrageous-ness, controversy, and the affect this has on people is somewhat more impressive than the affect politics has, as politicians themselves have limits, and to go beyond those as a politician themselves would result in an uproar of 'bigotry'

Other articles in the magazine however show how politics and governments themselves are AWARE of the affect art has, as art is restricted and censored. This happens in Burma, where people can get jailed for their art if it is viewed anti-government. This feels to me very reminiscent of Hitler and Stalin's censorship of art, and, interestingly, their use of propaganda. Whilst these governments were on completely different scopes of the political scale, from far right Fascism to far left Communism, both leaders knew the power of art in causing a rebellion. 

Whilst govenments restrict art as a way of stopping the spread of anti-government ideas and rebellion, the fact that governments use propaganda in their campaigns is an example of how powerful art can be within politics, and how governments use this to their advantage. When I was in Pamplona for San Fermin, the poster of choice for 2012 was by artist David Alegría, who took inspiration from the 1917 posters that encouraged men into war in America, showing the timeless effect art has. 

Art has also been used by artists to show the flaws of political systems, such as the Dada movement in Germany which stemmed from the loss of political beliefs after the first world war, and adapted a more liberal art technique.

It's clear that both politicians and artists are both aware of the effect that art has on peoples views and ideas, and this is why there is more of a struggle between the two than a harmony. In today's modern era, you would think that the two could have a mutual support, but the strength of art and demonstration against the strength of the law and political systems is a battle that can not yet be won.