Activism

The history of artistic interventions that look to undermine cultural and political institutions could be organized as a parallel narrative the history of the Modern art those same institutions enfolded. Although it could well be linked to militancy, those who occupy the place of activists in the field of culture do not necessarily respond to a political space identifiable with a single party or organization much less a shared strategy. Even during the period of historical avant garde movements, as Pierre Bourdieu affirms, artistic interventions acquired visibility in public debate as a function of prestige accumulated in the field of culture, rather than in political spheres. Cultural activism since the mid 19th Century has assumed two principal strategies, one being the assertion of a united front. Here, artists or representatives of the world of culture come together in order to express their opposition to a specific situation. Their works are gathered together in exhibitions or in written declarations, upheld by the force of the sum of their names. Their texts are published in newspapers or circulated throughout social networks such as Facebook, as has been the case in recent years. Demonstrations in public spaces generally form a part of a strategic whole that makes visible an agenda under dispute... Fil: Giunta, Andrea Graciela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina