Art activism – or using one’s art as a means for political expression – is a theme central to our time. It is increasingly frequent that we see critiques of political realities emerging through the arts – think of artists like Banksy (graffiti), The Yes Men (documentaries), Guerilla Girls (performances), John Holcroft (illustrations), as well as various musicians (Bob Marley, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan), film-makers (Guy Debord, Michael Moore, Marjane Strapi) conceptual artists , who have all voiced discontent through their form of art – their expression. This expression does not only raise awareness for current issues, but also fosters critical political discourse, political consciousness as well as the idea of art itself. Using the arts to make a political point is not new – it has been around for a long time, dating back particularly to the 1930s and 1940s.

This is where we come in. We want to build on this connection and establish a bridge between these two things: by creating a unique network where ideas and talents meet.

In the GAPA Community, we encourage cooperation on joint projects to foster art activism, the exchange and spread of knowledge, critical discourse as well as artistic innovation. By creating a bridge between arts and politics, we want to do our part in making the world a more critical place. To our knowledge, no such forum exists in the world – while there are plenty of organisations for change-makers, we are the only organisation to have an explicit focus on change-making through art, as well as the discourse surrounding it.

Also, check out what Boris Groys has to say on the idea of combining politics and the arts, in what he calls “art activism”:

“Current discussions about art are very much centered on the question of art activism—that is, on the ability of art to function as an arena and medium for political protest and social activism. The phenomenon of art activism is central to our time because it is a new phenomenon—quite different from the phenomenon of critical art that became familiar to us during recent decades. Art activists do not want to merely criticize the art system or the general political and social conditions under which this system functions. Rather, they want to change these conditions by means of art—not so much inside the art system but outside it, in reality itself. Art activists try to change living conditions in economically underdeveloped areas, raise ecological concerns, offer access to culture and education for the populations of poor countries and regions, attract attention to the plight of illegal immigrants, improve the conditions of people working in art institutions, and so forth. In other words, art activists react to the increasing collapse of the modern social state and try to replace the social state and the NGOs that for different reasons cannot or will not fulfill their role. Art activists do want to be useful, to change the world, to make the world a better place”

His full analysis can be found here.