During the close down of Covit – 19 there was a statement on social media as part of a general reaction towards artists not being supported enough that got me thinking about art, its role and its value. The statement was :
‘If you think artists are useless try spending your quarantine
without music, books, poems, movies and paintings.
I tried hard to understand why these words bothered me. Was it the fact that I found it sad that there was a need for artists to prove their self-worth? Was it that art was appearing as an entertainment tool? Was it that I as a performing artist found no space in those products and felt left out?
The mad era of consumption has turned humans to think of the concept of value in general as something measurable in numbers, or in amounts of material things or in a series of achievements prioritizing quantity as a primary criteria for success and the element of competition as its driving force. Art is not necessary or worth existing or essential only because of its numerous outcomes and it should not be appreciated for that alone. The statement im referring to tried to justify art’s existence by emphasizing its material forms, skipping the fact that art is mostly everything that comes before the end product ( the product actually being only a part of its function), as well as that which comes after (its impact), and therefore value should be given to
Art as a process.
The creative process of art making is a process of creating worlds parallel to the one we live, a process of inventing other realities, a process where the immaterial becomes grounded and shaped and reformed in order to inform the world in new ways. Art is the process that helped the shaping of ideologies and contributed in the formation of civilizations while working towards creating amazing architecture and sculptures and symphonies and dances. It helped construct cultures and inspired philosophical ideas by its critique on society on its way towards creation, and it was hardly ever an easy journey neither for the ones making it nor for the ones experiencing it, and so
Art is not entertainment.
The jester of the king comes to mind when I think of the term entertainment. An action providing amusement or enjoyment and that is precisely what art is not. It is something much less accurate and not as precise in its aim. It is that which can challenge our perceptions, our ethics, our ideas and philosophies about life and disturb our notions of beauty. It is that that can move and remove our comfortably set ways in order to make us rethink of our role in society, of making us aware of our privileges or exclusions of our inhibitions and prohibitions, of our political ideas and their vital importance. It does not aim at amusement via methods of emotional manipulation but rather serves its intention each time regardless of its effect. Art is a wake up call from a deep sleep of ignorance and apathy into starting to think about ways of putting our existence in good use, and it is a concept that belongs to all since
Art is not the art industry.
Art has come to be valued through the art industry but this does not mean that it exists only in that frame or that it can only be practiced by professionals. One of my favorite thoughts is that all humans are producers of artworks and they do it every day. The only thing they need to do is to turn around and have a pick at the color, the shape and the texture of their bowel movement. Extraordinary sculptures many of the times! Art is the ability to create while being conscious and aware of the act of creation, turning concept into form and every human can do it. Whether it’s the art of making a cake, or the art of telling a story or the art of making love, or the art of surviving. The opposite to that would be creation without consciousness which is what I would define as bad art or in other words life without love (not necessarily love towards another human).
Art in the post pandemic era.
Now with humanity taking a huge pause due to the pandemic it is a great opportunity to rethink of our choices that shaped the world and start co-creating it again into a world we would like to be living in. Art can play a vital role in helping this reshaping as it can penetrate deeply into social structures and situations by creating experiences and providing services that can trigger new ways of thinking about humans’ realtionship to other living creatures and the world. The artists as people who dare be innovative, groundbreaking and brave can question, open and challenge through their several mediums, the inequalities and violence and unfairness which is evident in so many sections of life. Art can regain its place in society not as a special luxury (limited only for the few that can afford it) but rather as an essential part of the norm. As a function that keeps us on our feet not to get too comfortable, connects us to our hearts not to avoid feeling with and for others, and awakens our minds so we take responsibilty of our actions which shape the world.
And that is why the work art does is not just necessary but deeply fundamental!
Lia Haraki