Nathalie Olah on Class, Representation, and the Politics of Art

Nathalie Olah critiques how the art sector addresses class issues, suggesting that representations of working-class existence often reinforce inequality instead of confronting it. She criticizes artists who market personal depictions of struggle to affluent buyers for tax benefits, labeling this relationship as exploitative. Olah connects the resurgence of figurative art by creators like Peter Doig, Issy Wood, and Joseph Yaeger to a return to empiricism that derides working-class aspirations. In contrast, artists like Pilvi Takala, with works such as Close Watch (2022) and The Trainee (2008), highlight the absurdities of surveillance and corporate culture. Sung Tieu's exhibition at Kunst Museum Winterthur features 4710 × 3410 (2023), sculptures that reflect her childhood furniture in a GDR housing complex for Vietnamese laborers. Olah asserts that genuine class awareness in art should challenge perspectives and interrogate oppressive systems, rather than merely depict them. Her new book, Bad Taste: or The Politics of Ugliness, is set to release on 9 November.