Exploring the Convergence of Art and Protest: A Probe into Their Synergy

Art, Activism, and the Intersection of Controversy: An Analysis of the Just Stop Oil Movement

(Righteous Rants by Johnny Jones)

Intro:In 2024, activists Phoebe Pummers and Ana Holland, members of the Just Stop Oil organization, were slapped with a two-year prison sentence for their headline-making action at the National Gallery in 2022. This piece delves into the significance of this controversial act, exploring its intersection of institutional critique, symbolic impact, and discourse mediation within the realms of art and activism.

The iconic painting of Van Gogh's Sunflowers at the National Gallery received a rather unusual visit from 22-year-old Phoebe Pummers, who poured a heaping plate of tomato soup over its protective glass. As she did, she vocalized the urgency of combating hydrocarbon consumption, questioning, "Is art worth more than life?" This confrontational act, as provocative as it was symbolic, encapsulates the inherent tensions between art and activism.

Where Art and Activism Collide: An Activist's Perspective

Theactions of Just Stop Oil offer a unique activist lens on the art world. Their various interventions, including the one at the National Gallery, raised questions about the boundaries of institutional aesthetics and their connection to values like justice, essential for understanding art and activism's relationship.

Their acts were met with criticism from those defending the sanctity of art and those questioning the effectiveness of such disruptive actions. However, one point remains undeniable: artistic institutions are not immune to the responsibility for today's global issues. Rather, they play a vital role in shaping the social code, acting as spaces that set agendas, connect artistic work with communities, and broker dialogue between aesthetic power and the system within which it operates.

Institutions' management of symbolic art production based on the systems that sustain them transforms artists and cultural actors into subjects of their circuits. As such, institutions have the capacity to produce subjectivity and discourse. The "where" and "how" of art's distribution are thus critical elements for any critical practice.

Pouring soup over a renowned artwork exemplifies the dynamics between art and politics. By assaulting a beloved artwork, the activists challenged the priorities and values defended by these institutions, arguing that the logic they perpetuate contributes to an unsustainable future.

Although art is not confined to museums, it is essential to understand the origins of the agendas driving its production and the context of its circuits. Clarifying this landscape provides a meeting point between art and activism, sparking questions like: Can art address climate crisis and global inequality without becoming a means of the system it critiques? Or, is art intended for the community or the institutions shaping its identity?

Artists: Should They Be Activists?

The question of whether artists should embrace activism sparks heated debate. It raises complex issues regarding the boundaries between disciplines, such as "Is there political art and non-political art?" Such inquiries compel us to rethink definitions. History has shown that art possesses the power to illuminate social issues, as evidenced byworks like Diego Rivera's murals, Marc Lombardi's drawings, and Mona Hatoum's installations or performances. However, there is a deeper consideration: the nature of being an artist often limits their ability to tackle problems that affect society as a whole. Whether an engineer, teacher, store owner, or artist takes on activism matters equally, as it is a personal choice often extended to their work.

From a certain standpoint, art can transcend the repetitive discourses of power, but its potential is heavily influenced by the material conditions of its sociopolitical context. Faced with the manifestation of a crisis that surpasses the state of the world's thermometer, it seems imperative to elevate personal choices into collective efforts, whether professional or political.

In this way, artistic practice offers the flexibility to articulate perspectives and knowledge and the power to etch images into the collective consciousness. Art offers various ways to conceptualize the intersection between art and activism, from the sustainability of practices to social work and the visibility of issues. Key to any such approach is that artistic practice provides fertile ground for imagination and thought. Yet, this space depends on its freedom from restrictions imposed by morality, technical dissemination language, or institutionalization. If that freedom is compromised, it risks becoming empty or demagogic discourse.

This challenge puts artists on a tightrope, asking them to find circuits, choose battles, and preserve the authenticity of their intentions while maintaining the sovereignty of their strategies. While the ethical rigor associated with the "activist" label may become impractical due to economic limitations or inevitable participation in the very system they critique, its value remains valid as a creative process.

Choosing a politically committed artistic practice is challenging, but the challenge transcends art. It is part of everyday life, manifesting at different scales and in various realms, and cuts across society as a whole. Such commitment may not be the central theme for all artists, but it influences and shapes their creative resources or even their way of thinking. Ultimately, the relationship between art and activism boils down to the decision to bring that commitment forward, regarding artistic production as part of a system of relations that encompasses society at large and its political framework. This perspective challenges institutions, art workers, and audiences alike.

Representation and Agency: Future Intersections Between Art and Activism

Activism demands devotion, facing criticism and rejection from conservative sectors and the consequences of civil disobedience. Meanwhile, art demands creative effort to achieve its own language and the danger of being swallowed by its own dissemination system. The intersection of these practices creates an intricate dance involving body and language that often involves sacrifice and the risk of co-optation by institutional machinery. Problems that both artists and the institutional body must address.

In Stella Succi's text Art or Life, she claims, "Ignoring the interpretative complexity of iconoclastic actions represents a missed opportunity for institutional self-criticism, particularly when such gestures address pressing issues like the ecological emergency, which has become central to museum practice, as per the most recent ICOM (International Council of Museums) definition of a museum." The ICOM definition published in 2022 emphasizes sustainability but neglects the 38 recorded attacks on works of art that year.

While the relationship between these events and institutional decisions may remain obscure, it is clear that activist actions exert pressure on public debate. These symbolic operations, which carry high costs for activists, can also drive the public to demand greater institutional commitment to the numerous crises we face, both in material terms of sustainability and in discursive terms.

For art to serve as an emancipatory exercise, it is important to rethink its relationship with the institutions that house it. Any artist striving to address the issues of our time must consider how their actions may perpetuate or challenge existing structures.

Succi, S. (2024). Art or life?. In Museums at the ecological turn (pp. 76-94). AMACI & Nero.

Enrichment Data:

Big Picture:

Artistic practices and activism are intertwined to influence social and environmental transformations. This relationship is multifaceted, encompassing aspects like community building, documentation of injustices, creative efforts to balance artistic expression and social impact, self-censorship due to fear of backlash, and the power of art as a form of defiance.

Interplay of Artistic Practices and Activism

Dialogue and Social Change:
Art functions as a catalyst for dialogue and societal change by forging connections among creators, which can lead to cultural shifts and the promotion of values and ideas that challenge entrenched systems[2].
Artists utilize their work to document injustice, question authority, and create spaces for new ideas, often engaging with political, social, and cultural issues[4].
Community Building and Resilience:
Community serves as a cornerstone for resilience and hope expressed through art, building solidarity and creating a collective voice capable of asserting influence for social justice[2].
Participatory artworks, like those in the "Art for Social Change" series at RMIT University, involve students in co-creating elements of the artwork, promoting informal conversations and learning about social issues[5].
Challenges Faced by Artists:
Artists often grapple with challenges such as censorship, limited access to resources, and the need to balance artistic expression with social impact. These hurdles can include self-censorship due to fear of retribution[1].
Despite these challenges, art remains a powerful weapon, enabling artists to remain visible and assert their ideas in the face of adversity[2].

Implications for Artists and Institutions

For Artists:

Courage and Risk-Taking: Artists must be prepared to take risks and face potential repercussions for their work, requiring courage and determination.
Maintaining Artistic Integrity and Social Impact: Artists must ensure their work effectively promotes social change while preserving its artistic integrity[1].
Community Support: Engaging with communities and fostering solidarity can help artists sustain their work and amplify its impact.

For Institutions:

Support and Funding: Institutions can provide crucial support and funding for artists who engage in activism, mitigating the challenges posed by limited resources[1].
Platforms and Visibility: By hosting participatory projects and exhibitions, institutions offer artists a platform to showcase their work and reach broader audiences, increasing the potential for social change[5].
Facilitating Dialogue: Institutions can facilitate dialogue around social and environmental issues by incorporating art into educational and community programs, fostering a culture of engagement and reflection[5].

In essence, artistic practices and activism collide by leveraging art as a tool for social critique, community building, and promoting change. Implications for artists include the need for courage and resilience, while institutions can support this process by offering resources, platforms, and fostering dialogue.

Artists, as part of the Just Stop Oil movement, challenge institutional aesthetics and question the role of art in combating global issues, such as the climate crisis, by disrupting the circulation of artworks in prominent museums.
In the discourse around art and activism, the dynamic between artists and institutions presents unique challenges; artists risk co-optation and their work being invalidated, while institutions have the power to produce subjectivity and discourse, shaping artists' practices and the agendas driving art production.
The intersection of artistic practices and activism necessitates a balancing act; while art offers a fertile ground for imagination, thought, and societal critique, it may face restrictions and risk being compromised by the systems it seeks to challenge, requiring artists to find circuits, choose battles, and maintain the authenticity of their intentions.