A Space For Negotiation: Art and Activism (original) (raw)

There has been a tendency, in recent times, for political art to be presented through a market centric context. Any piece of cultural production that confronts the failure of the establishment is often sold as a neat idea of political rebellion that's just the right amount of provocative. Making work that addresses rampant human injustice in the way Indian labourers are treated in the Gulf and then having your “political” work in the context of The Dubai Art Fair becomes self-serving, especially when done within the boundaries of the art world. Outside of this boundary, artists, activists and social entrepreneurs work at a grassroots level, where success isn't immediate and the interest isn't fleeting.