Political Activism and Street Art

Politics has always had a significant influence on art, from conflicts, war, and even elections as its impact runs deep. With the ever changing political climate in the late 20th and early 21st century, political advocacy gave birth a new medium for post modern art. That art form is most commonly known as street art. Street art gives the artist the ability to express themselves, their beliefs, and their activism through the use of public spaces. These spaces have the potential to reach a much wider audience than places like a museum or an art gallery. There will be two works each from three different artists that I will be showcasing that not only are interesting pieces, but also assist the artist in their political advocacy.

Banksy

Flower Thrower, Banksy 2003, West Bank

One of anonymous London street artist Banksy's most notorious works. Flower Thrower touches on some heavy themes. Finished shortly after the construction of the West Bank Wall began in Israel. This work depicts a man wearing dark clothes, a baseball cap, and a bandana throwing a bouquet of flowers. This symbolizes Banksy's desire for peace and an end to the conflict in the region, as Banksy opposed the West Bank Wall. This piece may seem simple at first glance, but upon closer look it not only has its deeper message, it also uses several elements of art. The first element that is apparent is Banksy's use of lines in forming the outline of the figure. Organic shapes portray the fluid motions, and lastly natural patterns are apparent in the flowers. The location is also very relevant to the meaning. If this was created in a different place its message might have been entirely different. Banksy went to the location himself to create this. For me personally, this piece elicits strong emotions of longing. Longing for an end to the conflict as sadly we still see it ongoing today with no end in sight to the needless loss of life.

Zero Interest in People, Banksy 2010, Toronto

This work by Banksy commentates on how modern society can treat its workers and how workers themselves might treat others. A common trait with Banksy's works seems to be that much of his street art is not overly complex in its presentation, while still having some deeper meaning. In this we can see a businessman in a suit wearing a sign with red text. As for art elements, lines create the outline for this figure and the sign worn. Color as a contrast is also used to pull the viewer's attention to the words in the otherwise black & white piece. Lastly there appears to be a minor use of optical texture on the mans face creating shadows along the contours of the face. This piece's political commentary focuses on the modern business model and companies that in many cases put their sole focus of 'profit' first, therefore leaving 0% Interest in People. This work can also be interpreted as a commentary on how modern workers can, at times, be so busy and wrapped up in their occupation that they may not have any time to interact with other people socially and form any lasting bonds. Which would leave them to have a 0% Interest in People. While the subject matter is kind of dull, this work does not give me the emotion of pessimism but rather hope. While there is no issue with having a job and being committed to work, it is also important to remember the connections you have with people in your life. And I think this piece helped me remember that.

Keith Haring

Ignorance = Fear, Keith Haring 1989, New York

In this poster by Keith Haring in collaboration with the New York activist group known as ACT Up, we can see Keith Haring's signature style combined with important symbolism. This work was made with the intention of inspiring activism to fight the AIDS epidemic. At the time, there was a lot of misinformation and negative stigma around aids and people diagnosed. There were many deaths  that were a result of this. Keith himself was diagnosed with aids a year before this poster was completed. In the poster we can see three figures marked with a pink 'X' symbolizing their diagnoses with the disease. These individuals either have their eyes, ears, or mouth covered representing their inaction to speak up about their condition presumably due to the possibility of social ridicule. Because of this inaction or silence, death is essentially a given especially when considering AIDS was the cause of 14% of all deaths among men in 1989 according to the CDC. This work aimed to bring people together to fight against the ignorance and silence regarding aids to bring an end to the horrible epidemic that plagued the 80s and 90s. The primary art element that I first noticed was the use of lines to create the figures while adding motion to them. We can also see color as a symbol. The pink triangle was a symbol that was reclaimed by the gay rights movement, originally being used to identify members that were targeted for homosexuality during the holocaust. Lastly abstract shapes are used for the figures that represent the people affected by AIDS. This work gave me the emotion of anger. I feel anger because while this is before my time, I still see how many lives were lost due to people's ignorance at the time.

Free South Africa, Keith Haring 1985, New York

This lithograph by Keith Haring demonstrated his support for the Free South Africa movement. The message portrayed was simple, Keith was advocating for the overwhelming black majority in South Africa to fight against the apartheid state that was only controlled by a minority. Beginning as a painting that turned into lithograph, Keith eventually made over 10,000 posters and distributed them across New York to show his advocacy and to urge others to support the oppressed in their fight against their oppressors. As for art elements we can see abstract shapes and lines as they are commonly used in Haring's works. There is also optical texture on the ground giving the illusion of texture. This work gives me the feeling of discontent. This is because while South Africa on paper, ended apartheid almost 30 years ago, there is still the lasting affect of it and rampant inequality within the country. And I feel like it is not talked about enough among political activist groups.

Blu

Lisboa, Blu 2010, Portugal

From what I have gathered Blu is a prominent street artist primarily active in Europe. Blu chooses to remain anonymous therefore not much is know about their personal life. Despite this, Blu's upfront political activism is very apparent in his works. In Lisboa we can see a man dressed in a suit wearing a golden crown with several logos of petroleum companies on it. This man is sucking something  from the earth with a straw. This is commentary on how these many of these companies are essentially sucking the earth dry of its resources and damaging its climate and ecosystems as a result. As for art elements, I can point out some of the most creative use of physical texture that I have yet seen. As this mural is on the side of a building the physical texture of the building is actually incorporated as the man's eyebrows. Not only that, we can also see optical texture on the man's suit. And lastly the extensive use of lines in the facial expression, suit, and even the hands! This piece gives me feelings of anger, as the man clearly does not give the slightest regard to the earth's wellbeing.

 Beograd, Blu 2009, Belgrade

In yet another piece by Italian artist, Blu, we can see Blu's full passion for environmental activism on display. There is some strong symbolism in this one too. There is someone with buildings representing teeth holding a tree while preparing to take a bite. This most likely represents urban expansionism and how it can destroy the environment if left unchecked. Blu's intentions are probably to raise awareness and inspire people to engage in activism to protect the environment. As for art elements there are two types of patterns. Natural patterns in the tree's leaves and man-made patterns in the building-teeth. The color green is also used not only to add color to the tree but also to represent nature as a whole. And finally lines exaggerate the facial features of the building-teethed man. This also elicits inspiration in me to pay more care and attention to the environment, and to watch out for carelessness that might harm it.

Works Cited

Love is in the Air (Flower Thrower) by Banksy Background & meaning (no date) MyArtBroker. Available at: https://www.myartbroker.com/artist-banksy/series-love-is-in-the-air-flower-thrower (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Editorial, T.A. (2023) The World of Banksy: 50 iconic artworks of banksy, The Artist. Available at: https://www.theartist.me/art/50-iconic-artworks-of-banksy-paintings (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Current trends mortality attributable to HIV infection/AIDS -- United States, 1981-1990 (no date) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001880.htm#:~:text=In%201989%2C%20among%20persons%20in,%2C%20respectively)%20(2). (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

Street art legends: Best of Keith Haring Art (no date) Widewalls. Available at: https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/street-art-legends-best-of-keith-haring-art/keith-haring-ignorance-fear-2 (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

editor1 (2020) Lisboa, BLU. Available at: https://blublu.org/b/2010/06/10/lisboa/ (Accessed: 18 April 2024).

editor1 (2020a) Beograd, BLU. Available at: https://blublu.org/b/2009/02/01/beograd/ (Accessed: 18 April 2024).