Protest Art

An essential guide to how the power of art has been harnessed to effect political change across the modern world, from the struggle for universal suffrage to Black Lives Matter. Here is a well-researched, concise guide to protest art, exploring what happens when artists join forces with radical political movements to foster change. The works and movements discussed emerged at times of great upheaval, war, colonialism, independence and changes of government, and reveal how art and politics have been intertwined throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries. Jessica Lack adopts an inclusive and international approach, presenting examples from nations and societies around the globe, including: Sylvia Pankhurst¿s paintings depicting the harsh realities faced by women manual workers in early 1900s Britain; the nationwide civil rights mural movement in the USA in the 1960s, which documented and galvanized the campaign for the rights of Black Americans; Nandalal Bose¿s portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, which became the iconic symbol of the Indian non-violence movement in the 1930s; and the Chilean direct action work that contributed to the collapse of General Pinochet¿s government. An introductory essay outlines the different ways art has been used to effect political transformation. Following this, the book is split across five topics, each dealing with a specific aspect of how art has precipitated change: by highlighting social realities, as agit-prop, as a unifying force, as a means of direct action, and by proposing new forms of action. Each topic begins with one decisive artistic act and examines its context, revealing how it influenced other artists and changed the wider political and artistic world.