The relationship between art and politics has always been intertwined. From all forms of poster propaganda to classical music, art has always been a tool for resistance and social commentary since the beginning of time. Art is a form of expression, and many artists throughout history have been using it to express activism, in both subtle and very unsubtle ways.
One big example of protest throughout American history were slave songs as a form of resistance. The songs the slaves sang as they were working were not just sung to pass the time, but rather their road to freedom. They utilized their voices singing hymns and coded messages for the Underground Railroad. They often used spirituals for double meanings, both celebrating their religion but also as the steps to navigate escape routes. Songs such as “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Wade in the Water” were used to help slaves figure out how to evade capture and be verbal maps to their freedom. Freedom is a form of power and their song was a protest against their oppressors.
In modern day, you can see art as activism on more public scales. Even with the halftime shows recently, Kendrick Lamar’s performance was a commentary on the Black American experience, this year’s halftime embraced Puerto Riccan culture with Bad Bunny plastering his message of “The only thing more powerful than hate is love” on the stadium screens. In our current political climate, these were big forms of protest on a nationally televised scale.
It also does not need to be as public as they were or within music. Artists are always creating media in different ways that are a form of protest. The artist Lex Marie has created several pieces of art that reflect on current issues going on in America. She had created a sculpture called “School Supplies” creating an automatic rifle from pencils as a response to the school shootings going on in America. Her piece went viral on TikTok and sparked conversations within the comments.
From the beginning of time, art has always been a form of expression, usually retaliation. The subliminal messages hidden within paint lines or poetry are what make art a conversation topic. Now in the 21st century, that has not changed. Let’s continue to create conversations about art, your voice is powerful, so use it.
