The following two links present a brief history of protest art from the Dadaists to today. Read the articles on the following links and then answer the questions below.
https://www.format.com/magazine/features/art/brief-history-protest-art
https://www.widewalls.ch/protest-art/
1. Define protest art. What does it mean to you? What kinds of issues to protest artists address?
2. We have come across Dada before when you had to watch the video of the sound poem performance by Hugo Ball (who wore the lobster claw suit). How does Dada fit into the above description of activist art? How is that performance an example of activist art?
3. What does the graffiti artist Banksy address in his work? Look up an example of his work and explain what is being protested.
4. Compare Banksy's work to the Arab Spring movement. What is similar about them?
5. As you discovered in the reading, a lot of activist artists utilize graffiti in their practice. Why do you think these two things, graffiti and activist art, go so well together? What about graffiti lends itself well to protest artists?
6. Which artist/artist group did you read about that you found the most intriguing? Why?
