Artivism's Challenge to Commercial Art Systems: From GAAG to Contemporary Collectives
Artivism, which merges artistic expression with activism, confronts the commercial art world. Carl Einstein provided a critique of activist art in both 1915 and 1973. In his 2006 publication 'Dark Matter,' Gregory Sholette examines art that engages politically beyond mainstream institutions. The Guerrilla Art Action Group (GAAG), established by Jon Hendricks and Jean Toche, organized significant protests in the late 1960s, notably a 1969 performance at MoMA opposing the Rockefeller family's involvement in the Vietnam War. Emerging from Occupy Wall Street in 2011, Occupy Museums challenges the role of museums in global capitalism, with protests at the 2015 Venice Biennale and Berlin's KW Institute. Jonas Staal's New World Summit (2015–16) advocates for stateless democracy, while Germany's ZPS draws attention to refugee fatalities. Activist art continues to be largely ignored.
Key facts
- Artivism combines art and activism in temporary, collective forms that resist commercial valuation.
- Carl Einstein advocated for activist art in his 1915 monograph 'Negro Sculpture' and 1973 posthumous volume 'Die Fabrikation der Fiktionen'.
- Gregory Sholette's 2006 book 'Dark Matter' examines activist art since the 1920s.
- GAAG performed at MoMA in 1969, simulating self-harm to protest the Rockefeller family's board role over arms and Vietnam War ties.
- Occupy Museums occupied the Peggy Guggenheim Collection during the 2015 Venice Biennale to protest labor conditions at Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
- Jonas Staal's New World Summit project includes a 'parliament building' in Rojava, northern Syria, for conferences on stateless democracy.
- ZPS relocated 14 Berlin Wall crosses to EU borders in 2015 to highlight refugee deaths, with nearly 30,000 deaths since 2000.
- Claire Bishop's 2016 essay controversially described artivism as affirmative and neoliberal.
Entities
Artists
- Carl Einstein
- Gregory Sholette
- Jon Hendricks
- Jean Toche
- Noah Fischer
- Jonas Staal
- Chantal Mouffe
- Philipp Ruch
- Jonathan Lutes
Institutions
- Guerrilla Art Action Group (GAAG)
- Occupy Museums
- Gulf Labor
- Pussy Riot
- Zentrum für Politische Schönheit (ZPS)
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- KW Institute for Contemporary Art
- Peggy Guggenheim Collection
- Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
- Deutsche Bank
- New World Summit
- ArtReview
- Field
- Skulptur Projekte Münster
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Russia
- Germany
- Berlin
- Venice
- Italy
- United Arab Emirates
- Abu Dhabi
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Netherlands
- Rojava
- Syria
- France
- Mediterranean Sea
- European Union