[-empyre-] the artist in conflict

[nat muller]

hi horit,


> As Tim put it so poignantly, “we are imprinted with the ideological  
> framework of our working conditions,” which, I would add, are  
> grounded in institutional and financial foundations. The question  
> may be asked, then, from what vantage point can the distinction be  
> made between “a performative politicised artistic act and an  
> artist's political act,” or between “artists becoming spokespersons  
> for political causes,” and “interesting and engaging projects”?  
> Aren’t these distinctions themselves reflections of the power  
> positions held by the global gatekeepers, who are in many cases also  
> the purse strings holders?
>
let me clarify this point.  definitely purse string holders (and i  
guess often global gatekeepers as well) have agendas everywhere and  
anywhere, especially - in regions where there is scarce national/local  
funding for the arts, or problematic funding for the arts (as is/was  
the case in egypt where there's a clear line between the government- 
sponsored scene and the so-called independent, i.e. western-subsidised  
scene). so you can get a situation where the money comes from the  
outside, and so do the expectations.  often these expectations  
subjugate the production of critical artistic work (="interesting and  
engaging" projects that transcend interpretation at a glance) to such  
things as "inter-cultural dialogue", soft diplomacy, or pure  
didacticism. i am not saying the latter do not have their function,  
they probably have, i am not a great fan though. but you do get a  
problem if these dynamics start weighing heavily on a scene. of course  
there's no problem with artists becoming spokespersons for political  
causes, should they choose so  (and there  we still need to be careful  
not to fully collapse the realm of the artistic with the realm of the  
political).  however it is a problem if they are pushed into that role  
or expected to act out that role, be that by funders, institutions,  
curators, critics, audiences, etc.
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