Artivism

Katerina Komi

University of Crete

“Artivism is nuanced and subtle. Artivism is bold and radical. Artivism is liberating. Artivism is justice. Artivism is creative justice. Indeed, artivism is our only fighting chance.”

Rodney Diverlus (“Re/imagining Artivism”)

 

In 2015, art curator and theorist Peter Weibel wrote that “Artivism […] is perhaps the twenty-first century’s first new art form” (Weibel 2015, 23). This statement is indicative of the significant momentum that this form of artistic practice – the amalgam of artistic creation and activist actions – has gained in recent years, taking on the dimensions of a global phenomenon. Artivism opens up a new field of attractive and rewarding possibilities both in art, recognizing its political dimension and making it a lever and weapon of struggle, and in traditional activism, enriching, expanding and diversifying strategies and interventions aimed at socio-political change.

The term “artivism” is a neologism, which is the result of the fusion of the words “art” and “activism” and accurately conveys its hybridity. According to Aladro-Vico et al. (2018, 9), artivism is defined as ” a hybrid form of art and activism which has a semantic mechanism to use art as a means towards change and social transformation.” It is closely related to similar terms such as ‘creative activism’, ‘artistic activism’, ‘political art’ and ‘activist art’ (see Danko 2012, 239; Duncombe & Harrebye, 2022, 3) but differs in that it assigns equal importance to artistic creation and socio-political action, highlighting “an organic relationship between art and activism” (Sandoval & Latorre 2008, 82). As artist/activist John Jordan (2020, 59) states, artivism is “an attitude, a practice which exists on the fertile edges between art and activism. It comes into being when creativity and resistance collapse into each other. It’s what happens when our political actions become as beautiful as poems and as effective as a perfectly designed tool.”

Key characteristics of artivism, as Martins & Campos (2023, 6) note, are the subversive nature of the diverse artworks produced by artists/activists, through which they criticise the status quo; the development of projects that aim to empower stigmatised and over-exposed individuals; and the fact that artivist actions take place outside the structures of the art market and against its institutions. Popular artivist tactics include the use of art forms and actions that traditionally carry the seeds of disobedience, resistance and protest and bring the debate into the public sphere, demanding its renegotiation: graffiti, murals, stencils, flash mobs, street theatre, poetry and music actions (e.g. spoken word), performance art, the creation and screening of films and videos, the creation of posters, postcards and stickers, and various happenings ( for other forms of artivism, see Diverlus 2016, 198). Artivist acts in public space are characterized by the ephemeral and the practical, aiming at direct social intervention (Aladro-Vico et al. 2018, 10), while encouraging participation, dialogue, and community building. Artivists adopt methods of provocation, parody, satire, and subversion of conventions and stereotypes, while placing the process of realizing artistic creation at the center of their actions. Drawing on the sub-linguistic dimensions of art, its capacity to draw on diverse artistic idioms and to act as a bridge, allowing for the transcendence of cultural, social, racial, ethnic, gender, and religious differences and divisions, the artivists attempt to change the world.

Although artivism has only recently entered the vocabulary of activists, artists, and theorists, occupying a central position in the field of social struggles, its roots go back to the first decades of the 20th century: the avant-garde movements that challenged the artistic and socio-political establishment of the time (Dada, Russian Vanguard, Surrealism). Its ancestral forms were also the artistic movements that flourished especially in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Conceptual Art, Situationist International, Fluxus, Performance Art and Happening, which challenged the rules of institutional art by emphasizing the idea and the connection between art and politics as well as art and life. Key elements of artivism can also be found in radical theatre forms of the 1960s and 1970s, such as the Bread and Puppet Theatre and the Theatre of the Oppressed. In addition, artivism was foreshadowed in the Counterculture of the 1960s and in the social and political rights movements that incorporated various forms of art into protest events (e.g. the Civil Rights Movement, the Chicano Movement and the Feminist Movement); in the work of artists and groups involved in the social struggles of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s; but also in subcultures such as Punk, Hip Hop, Graffiti, which redefined the relationship between art and activism and the relationship between art and public space (For the precursors of artivism see Danko 2012, 241-242. Aladro-Vico et al. 2018, 11; Brigouleix 2022).

Among scholars there is no commonly accepted position on the origin of the term artivism. Possible originators are considered the Italian theorist Tatiana Bazzichelli, who in 2001 launched the project AHA: Activism-Hacking-Artivism, and the Slovenian academic Aldo Milohnić, who in 2005 used the term “artivism” writing about a “political interventionism [that] resorts to cultural-manifestation techniques in order to become constituted in the field of the political” (Milohnić 2005, 4). It is widely believed, however, that as a concept and practice artivism has existed since the 1990s and that it was born in 1997 through the creative encounter and collaboration between Chicano artists and activists from Los Angeles and members of the Zapatista community in Chiapas, Mexico. It was the product of a transnational partnership between two movements that aimed to resist the omnipotence of capitalism and the neoliberal policies of the time, holding them responsible for the aggravation of social inequalities, racism against indigenous people and immigrants, systemic injustice, the impoverishment of a large part of the population, and the destruction of the environment.

Artivism quickly gained global momentum within the context of the Anti-Globalization movement that developed in the late 1990s and the early 21st century as a reaction to capitalist, neoliberal domination. In mass demonstrations and protest rallies of the time against organizations such as the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Group of 8, collectives such as Reclaim the Streets, the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination, and the Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army organized a new mode of protest, disobedience, and insurrection. Groups of activists planned and carried out playful, performative, artistic actions, “Un mélange de désobéissance civile, de carnaval, d’action directe, de saynètes grotesques, de jeux collectifs et de reappropriation de la rue” (“a mixture of civil disobedience, carnival, action directe, grotesque sketches, collective games, and street re-appropriation” (Lindgaard 2005, 30). In the years that followed, artivism gained great popularity, redefining the way activists and artists acted.

Behind the artivist actions of the last decades are artivists who have sought tactics to breathe new life into the ‘tired’ activism of the past (see also Diverlus 2016, 191), making it more attractive, as the Copenhagen Experiment (Duncombe & Harrebye 2022) has shown, and to broaden the audience they address. Today’s activists are resorting to art to give maximum visibility to their struggle and to bring to the fore, in an innovative way, socio-political issues and marginalised groups. Moreover, recognizing the demands of the digital reality and the omnipotence of visual culture, they use contemporary, alternative art forms which, through new technological tools, function as bridges of communication and interaction, dissemination of political messages and mobilization for collective action (e.g. meme art, artistic hacktivism).

 Important actors of this new form of activism are also artists who reject the doctrine of “art for art’s sake”, reject the elitist institutional enclosure of art, and free it from the shackles of galleries, museums, and the art stock exchange, using public space as a canvas or stage. Individuals and collectives, with Banksy, Ai Weiwei, JR, Pussy Riot, Guerrilla Girls, and The Yes Men as representative names, have made artivism one of the most creative and radical forms of struggle. Artivist artists represent the social return of art, the “utopian rethinking of art’s relationship to the social and of its political potential—manifested in a reconsideration of the ways in which art is produced, consumed and debated” (Bishop 2012, 3). Moreover, as Emilie Brigouleix (2019) notes, artivism’s main idea is the transition “from a market art to a policy of gratuity and exchange, from an individualistic to a collective approach, from infinite commentary to a concrete, immediate and performative struggle that explores utopia, from performance to participation and dialogue”. As participatory and collective actions are key parameters of artivism, artivists are also understood as members of communities who actively take part in artistic creation, making artivist actions a democratic and truly dialogical process.

Nowadays artivism is fighting on many fronts, against systemic injustice, inequality, racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia, free market economy, imperialism, nationalism, anti-immigration policies, the lack of democracy, climate change, animal abuse and tourist or urban gentrification. It undoubtedly has to face challenges such as commercialization, appropriation by individuals and organizations representing the structures it is fighting against, de-politicization, the reproduction of systems of oppression, folklorization, the aestheticization of politics and the lack of effective representation of the superordinate groups (cf. Diverlus 2016,201-204; Brigouleix 2019). However, by avoiding these risks, it can be a particularly useful and effective tool of resistance and social transformation. It does not limit itself to sufficient criticism and denunciation but proposes alternative ways of living in contemporary societies and ways of addressing burning issues. At the same time, artivism can also be used as an educational tool (Aladro-Vico et al. 2018, 14-16) by informing, raising awareness, activating, and empowering the public/community/subgroups/students around social and political issues through actions, interventions and experiences that act as a springboard for social change.

Artivism and Migration

Finally, mention should be made of the major role played by artivism on the issue of migration and anti-immigration policies, especially in recent years, when – for political, economic, social, and environmental reasons – migration has become a necessity for a large part of the world’s population. As incidents of racism, discrimination, violence and exploitation against migrants and refugees increase, artists and activists are carrying out artivist actions aimed, among other things, at promoting social inclusion and recognition of the rights of these people and denouncing government policies of segregation and violence, intervening decisively on the migration issue. With the urban landscape, refugee camps, but also transnational borders and border areas as their field of creation and resistance, the artivists, through installations, performances, map-making, graffiti, film production and other art forms, promote “innovation and an overall reconceptualization of citizenship, cultural identity, belonging, and transcultural geographies” (Pulitano 2022, 227).  Well-known examples of artivist actions related to the migration issue are JR’s installation at Tecate, on the Mexico-US border (2017), Ai Weiwei’s installation “Safe Passage” in Minneapolis (2020), Banksy’s graffiti entitled “Migrant Child” (Venice 2019) and the mobile installation “Inflatable Refugee” by the collective Schellekens & Peleman. However, a more representative example of an artivist action that fuses art and activism, engaging migrants themselves “as transborder gestures that [invent] new forms of being and becoming” (Heide 2018, 54) and aiming to offer practical assistance to them, is the installation/performance entitled “Transborder Immigrant Tool (TBT)” by The Electronic Disturbance Theater (2008). The initiators of TBT planned to distribute cheap mobile phones to people wishing to cross the Mexico-US border, providing them – via GPS – with coordinates of water stations in the inhospitable border zone, as well as experimental poetry with survival and support advice (Heide 2018; Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0/b.a.n.g. lab 2014).

 It is becoming clear that, beyond good intentions, artivists who intervene in a substantive way in immigration issues are co-creating with people seeking new homes. Drawing on their experiences and narratives, they attempt to offer practical support solutions, create bonds, and build communities that embrace multicultural interaction and diversity. They envision a world without detention centres, walls, fences and refoulements. Instead, they envision an alternative reality of inclusive and free mobility, built on the materials of respect, humanity, solidarity, and harmonious coexistence.

 

 

Bibliography

Aladro-Vico Eva & Jivkova-Semova Dimitrina & Bailey Olga, “Artivism: A new educative language for transformative social action”, Comunicar: Media Education Research Journal, v26 n57 (2018).

Bishop Claire, Artificial Hells: Participatory Art and the Politics of Spectatorship, Verso, London, New York, 2012.

Brigouleix Emilie, “A Brief History of Artivism” (2019) http://artivism.elaninterculturel.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/2-Intro-Emilie.pdf [February 18, 2024]

Danko Dagmar, “Artivism and the Spirit of the Avant-Garde,” Art and the Challenge of Markets, Volume 2: From Commodification of Art to Artistic Critiques of Capitalism, ed. Victoria D. Alexander, Samuli Hägg, Simo Häyrynen, and Erkki Sevänen (London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018).

Diverlus Rodney, “Re/imagining Artivism,” in David Elliott, Marissa Silverman, and Wayne D. Bowman (eds.) Artistic Citizenship: Artistry, Social Responsibility, and Ethical Praxis, Oxford University Press, New York, 2016.

Duncombe Stephen & Harrebye Silas, “The Copenhagen Experiment: Testing the Effectiveness of Creative vs. Conventional Forms of Activism.” Social Movement Studies 21, 2022 https://c4aa.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/The-Copenhagen-Experiment-testing-the-effectiveness-of-creative-vs-conventional-forms-of-activism.pdf [February 18, 2024]

Heide Markus, “‘Learning from Las Vegas’: Border Aesthetics, Disturbance, and Electronic Disobedience. An Interview with Performance Artist Ricardo Dominguez,” Journal of Borderlands Studies, 36:1, 2021.

Jordan John, “Artivism: Injecting Imagination into Degrowth,” in Nina Treu, ‎Matthias Schmelzer, ‎Corinna Burkhart (eds.), Degrowth in Movement(s): Exploring Pathways for Transformation, Zero Books, London, 2020.

Lindgaard Jade, “Artivisme,” Vacarme 2005/2 (n° 31) https://www.cairn.info/revue-vacarme-2005-2-page-30.htm [February 18, 2024]

Martins J. C. F. & Campos, R. M. de O., “The body as theme and tool of artivism in young people,” European Journal of Cultural Studies, (2013) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/13675494231163647 [February 19, 2024]

Milohnić Aldo, “Artivism,” Olga Vuković (trans.), Transversal 3, EIPCP Multilingual Webjournal, 2005, https://transversal.at/pdf/journal-text/881/ [February 18, 2024]

Pulitano Elvira, Mediterranean ARTivism: ART, Activism, and Migration Europe, Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2022.

Sandoval Chella & Latorre Guisela, “Chicana/o artivism: Judy Baca’s digital work with youth of color,” A. Everett (ed.), Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media, Cambridge MA, The MIT Press, 2008.

Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0/b.a.n.g. lab, “The Transborder Immigrant Tool/La herramienta transfronteriza par inmigrantes,” The Office of Net Assessment, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 2014.

Weibel Peter, “Preface,” in Peter Weibel (ed.), Global Activism: Art and Conflict in the 21st Century, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2015.

 

RECOMMENDED MOVIES ABOUT THE WORK OF ARTIVISTIS AND ARTIVIST ACTIONS.

Mur murs (1981), dir. Agnès Varda

Guerrillas in Our Midst (1992), dir. Amy Harrison

Border (2004), dir. Laura Waddington

Hans Haacke: 4 Decades (2007), dir. Michael Blackwood

Les Sentiers de l’utopie (2007), dir. John Jordan & Isabelle Fremeaux

The Yes Men Fix the World (2009), dir. Andy Bichlbaum &Mike Bonanno & Kurt Engfehr

Exit through the Gift Shop (2010), dir. Banksy

Waste Land (2010), dir. Lucy Walker & Karen Harley& João Jardim

!Women Art Revolution (2010), dir. Lynn Hershman Leeson

Watershed: Art, Activism, and Community Engagement (2011), dir. Laura Klein

Pockets of Resistance (2011), dir. Ralf Christensen

Keith Haring: Heart of the Community (2012), dir. Scott Hatfield

How to Survive a Plague (2012), dir. David France

Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry (2012), dir. Alison Klayman

The Act of Killing (2012), dir. Joshua Oppenheimer & Anonymous& Christine Cynn

Art/Violence (2013), dir. Udi Aloni & Mariam Abu Khaled & Batoul Taleb

Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013), dir. Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin

Pussy Riot: The Movement (2013), dir. Natasha Fissiak

Queer Artivism (2013), dir. Masa Zia Lenardic & Anja Wutej

Banksy Does New York (2014), dir. Chris Moukarbel

Artivism (2015), dir. Dan Laughton

Cameraperson (2016), dir. Kirsten Johnson

Pawlenski – Der Mensch und die Macht (2016), dir. Irene Langemann

Stick to it (2017), episode 3, dir. Alexis Deforge

Bordalo II: A Life of Waste (2017), dir. Rua Meegan & Trevor Whelan

Human Flow (2017), dir. Ai Weiwei

Visages villages (2017), dir.  Agnès Varda & JR

White Walls Say Nothing (2017), dir. Gates Bradley & Jonny Robson

Symfonia Fabryki Ursus (2018), dir. Jasmina Wojcik

One Thousand Stories: The Making of a Mural (2019), dir. Tasha Van Zandt

Conversations with Artivists (2019), Rafael Salazar & Ava Wiland

Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F**ker (2020), dir. Chris McKim

Paper & Glue (2021), dir. JR

The Story Won’t Die (2021), dir. David Henry Gerson

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022), dir. Laura Poitras

Las Artivistas: The Journey from Artist to Activist (2022), dir. Guillermina Zabala

 

 

How to become an activist: resources, tools, methods and tactics

1. Arts Activism Toolkit -disruption, disobedience, and creativity (Aylwyn Walsh, Paul Routledge, Alex Sutherland 2022)

https://www.tshisimani.org.za/wp-content/uploads/AA-Toolkit-Final-online.pdf

2. Artivist Guide (www.350.org)

https://earth.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/artivist-guide-formatted.pdf

3. A better world is paintable: How to make banners, stencils, street murals, parachute banners and more

https://trainings.350.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/A-Better-World-is-

Paintable.pdf?_ga=2.105411075.103737645.1618491047-2122027012.1612444459

4. Creative Tactics that Help Bring about Change

https://actipedia.org

5. The Art of Activism Workbook

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BD3o_AT-nu4ApK6epbudvwhk3iny_k9s/view

available also in https://artofactivismbook.com/workbook/

6. Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution (Andrew Boyd with Dave Oswald Mitchell, 2012)

https://archive.org/details/beautifulTrouble/beautifulTrouble/mode/2up

7. Creativity, Resilience & Global Citizenship: Activity Toolkit (CIT Crawford College of Art & Design, 2015)

https://developmenteducation.ie/media/documents/Creativity-resilence-global-cit.pdf

8. Artful Activism: A Toolkit for Creative Activism (Creative Arts and Activism project, 2021)

https://actionaid.org/sites/default/files/publications/Artful%20Activism%20Toolkit.pdf

9. Artivist Resource Pack

10. Theatre: From the Personal to the Public with Peter Hussey: Masterclass Toolkit

11. Performance and Protest. The Art of Theatre as Activism

12. Inspiring Examples of Artivism (Hanna Pishchyk, Elena Petrovska, Palina Burko)

https://www.cdnee.org/inspiring-examples-of-artivism/

13. How to Set up a Guerrilla Projection (artivist network)

14. A Quick & Comprehensive Guide to Creative Disobedience & Actions

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pQD9GMVOWdY3s9bC4q1rfrjPkJs9F1Mr

15. Publications of the Laboratory of Insurrectionary Imagination (A Network of Socially Engaged Artists and Activists)

https://labo.zone/index.php/what/publications/?lang=en