What is art in relation to propaganda? And in the context of movement building, what is the role of an artist in relation to the changemaker?
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"Artistically it is the one fundamental question for us today, Art or Propaganda. Which?
A few simple acts have transformed this iconic Los Angeles landmark (the Freedom Sculpture) into a living symbol of solidarity with the Iranian people who are fighting for their freedom in Iran. It started with Los Angeles-based artist and activist Kurosh ValaNejad who pasted decals on the base of the Freedom Sculpture that read “SAY MY NAME: MAHSA AMINI, BE MY VOICE.” This act became the seed for an ongoing movement around the monument, when Los Angeles artist Nushin Sabet tied a veil to the monument near the decals.
-response to criticism that French New Wave cinema leaves viewers with a story that is a rough, inaccessible mess in need of a good editor.
Sanctionwear, 2019, is an installation of three dresses that I made out of two of Trump’s executive orders: the Re-imposition of Economic Sanctions against Iran and the Muslim Ban. The installation also includes the UN Convention on essential Medicine, and three Iranian historical and mythical figures that deeply shaped both Iranian and Western cultures: Mithra, Avicenna, and Omar Khayyam. It is a cry to bring attention to the impact of laws, orders, and politics on the Iranian population, the land, the culture, the common roots.
for more: Subjective documentary: the Cat and the Coup, Brinson, P, ValaNejd,K m FDG 2012: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Foundations of Digital Games, May 2012, Pages 246–249
"An artists' approach to advocacy is a process of discovery, leading to a fresh perspective which may in fact contradict popular understanding."
I was invited to install Gender at Moogfest, a music conference in North Carolina(NC). In 2016, NC was the epicenter of a political battle over transgender rights, because of a highly controversial House Bill 2, commonly known as the bathroom laws. Our interactive installation was designed to be exhibited outside of public facilities, it shows that Gender is not binary; It's a floating point number. 
At the conference, I witnessed a shift the focus of the gender equality movement. The trans community opened the eyes of the general public to consider everyone else who didn't identify as male OR female. As the discourse on the topic evolved I felt it was time to version up Body Scrub, Gender. So I started to look closely at Gender ID. My position on the topic may surprise you. It surprised me.
* This is a picture of a real watermelon. It was grown in a box. Its shape could only be achieved at the expense of its contents. Square melons must be harvested before they are ripe, rendering them inedible.
"The affordances of visual art to quickly inform using allegorie, to broadly deliver a message irrespective of the viewers language - or even a basic literacy, and to imply through nuance, without the fear of persecution lends itself to political messaging. But it is also risky as a creative application of a message may be misunderstood."
"My poems do not have an agenda but my activism does."
(In contemplative social arts, the practitioner is asked not to have an agenda. The artist’s source of creation is beyond the concrete - a place of not-knowing, a universal world, and she flows, moment by moment, with what is. The activist has an objective to reach. This is where the artist and the activist diverge.)
This collection of images using the clenched fist expands on A brief history of the "clenched fist" image, by Lincoln Cushing, Docs Populi
(This webpage is an updated version of our workshop at the inaugurale conference organized by MASScreative on May 17th, 2024)
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What is Propaganda?
Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded language to produce an emotional rather than a rational response to the information that is being presented. Propaganda can be found in a wide variety of different contexts.
In the 20th century, the English term propaganda was often associated with a manipulative approach, but historically, propaganda had been a neutral descriptive term of any material that promotes certain opinions or ideologies.
A wide range of materials and media are used for conveying propaganda messages, which changed as new technologies were invented, including paintings, cartoons, posters, pamphlets, films, radio shows, TV shows, and websites. More recently, the digital age has given rise to new ways of disseminating propaganda, for example, bots and algorithms are currently being used to create computational propaganda and fake or biased news and spread it on social media.
In the 20th century, the English term propaganda was often associated with a manipulative approach, but historically, propaganda had been a neutral descriptive term of any material that promotes certain opinions or ideologies.
A wide range of materials and media are used for conveying propaganda messages, which changed as new technologies were invented, including paintings, cartoons, posters, pamphlets, films, radio shows, TV shows, and websites. More recently, the digital age has given rise to new ways of disseminating propaganda, for example, bots and algorithms are currently being used to create computational propaganda and fake or biased news and spread it on social media.
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| Portrait by Winold Reiss, 1925 |
"Artistically it is the one fundamental question for us today, Art or Propaganda. Which?
Is this more the generation of the prophet or that of the poet; shall our intellectual and cultural leadership preach and exhort or sing?
I believe we are at that interesting moment when the prophet becomes the poet and when prophecy becomes the expressive song, the chant of fulfillment."
I believe we are at that interesting moment when the prophet becomes the poet and when prophecy becomes the expressive song, the chant of fulfillment."
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All Art is Propaganda, a set of critical essay by George Orwell and Keith Gessen, compiled by George Packer (1940), presents a compelling argument that all forms of art inherently carry ideological messages and serve specific purposes, often aligned with political or social agendas.
Orwell begins by broadening the definition of art to include all creative expressions, suggesting that art cannot be neutral. He emphasizes that every piece of art reflects the values and beliefs of its time, whether consciously or unconsciously. He provides historical examples to illustrate how art has been used as a tool for propaganda throughout history. By examining the roles of artists in various political movements, he shows that art often serves to reinforce or challenge societal norms. Orwell discusses the psychological effects of art on individuals and societies. He argues that art can shape thoughts and emotions, influencing public opinion and behavior. This capacity for persuasion underscores the propagandistic nature of art. He believes artists have a moral responsibility to be aware of the implications of their work. By acknowledging that art can manipulate and persuade, Orwell urges artists to consider the potential consequences of their creations. Orwell reflects on his own experiences and beliefs as a writer, making his argument more relatable. His candid acknowledgment of his motivations and the societal impact of his work adds credibility to his claims. He anticipates and addresses potential counterarguments, acknowledging that some may see art as purely aesthetic or personal. However, he argues that even apolitical art can be interpreted through an ideological lens, reinforcing his thesis. Through these methods, Orwell effectively communicates his belief that all art serves a purpose beyond mere expression, aligning it with propaganda's fundamental nature of influencing and shaping societal perspectives.
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Iranian-American Research Artist Iranian-American Creative Director
b. 1966 b. 1978
"Demonstrate an act of activism which encourage public participation."
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Nushin Sabet Photo by Kurosh, 2022 |
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| Kurosh as Nasrin Sotoudeh, Photo by Will Foster, 2020 |
Iranian-American Actress and Activist Shohreh Aghdashloo reads the names of 9 political prisoners and reports the breaking news that popular wrestling champion 'Navid was hanged last night'. She asks
'Who do I go to?'
United Nations?
Amnesty International?
Human Rights?'
Shohreh Aghdashlloo
Shohreh khanoom expresses the sadness and helplessness of Iranians, both in and outside of Iran. That night Kurosh put Navid's name on the Freedom Sculpture and in the following days he added the names of the 9 political prisons. As more bad news about unlawful arrests and human rights violation leaks out of Iran, he continues adding names. On the outer silver cylinder, the names of political prisoners were added using silver letters. And using gold letters on the gold inner cylinder he added the names of those who lost their lives in pursuit of democracy in Iran.
from: Video Message by Shohreh Aghdashlloo, Keyhan Life, Facebook, Sept 13th, 2020
A few simple acts have transformed this iconic Los Angeles landmark (the Freedom Sculpture) into a living symbol of solidarity with the Iranian people who are fighting for their freedom in Iran. It started with Los Angeles-based artist and activist Kurosh ValaNejad who pasted decals on the base of the Freedom Sculpture that read “SAY MY NAME: MAHSA AMINI, BE MY VOICE.” This act became the seed for an ongoing movement around the monument, when Los Angeles artist Nushin Sabet tied a veil to the monument near the decals.
"I had been forced to wear this veil in Iran, due to the compulsory hijab laws over there. So, tying it to the Freedom Sculpture and seeing my veil blowing freely in the wind was a way of sending my hopes and wishes to the courageous women and people of Iran as they fight for these basic freedoms that we take for granted here in America."
Nushin Sabet
Since then hundreds of Angelenos have tied more veils, scarves and ribbons on the Freedom Sculpture, organically reshaping it as it stands on busy Santa Monica Blvd in Century City. With every veil the monument becomes a more lively and vibrant reflection of support for the people of Iran, helping build public awareness and a sense of community for all who pass by.
by Mark Westall, FAD Magazine
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Jean-Luc Godard
French-Swiss Film Director, Screenwriter, Film Critic
1930 - 2022
"Every edit is a lie."
The French New Wave is an important post-war movement that transformed story-telling, sometimes actively resisting narrative structure and the strictures of chronology.
Pop Matters, 28 September 2010
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"The work was considered propaganda by the art community, and sanctioned by a curator."
(Sanction has two nearly opposite meanings: to sanction can be to approve of something but it can also mean to punish or speak harshly to.)
for more: Sanctionwear
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Italian Composer
b.1961
"I learned through opera that
when art says it all,
it is not art anymore,
it is propaganda."
(Artists needs to leave space
for the viewer's imagination.)
from: Art and Propaganda; The Artist and the Change-maker, Artemis Akchoti Shahbazi, blog post 3/29/2021
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Iranian-American Research Artist American Game Designer, Educator
b.1966 b.1974
"Documentary is to journalism, what activism is to Art."
The Cat and the Coup is a documentary videogame. It presents the complicated story of a covert American intervention through allegorical game mechanics and metaphoric imagery. We hope it encourages personal interpretation and inspires players to think about the cost of democracy.
We avoided being dismissed as propaganda by using headlines from trusted sources of our target audience.
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| Photo courtesy of IndieCade |
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Pablo Picasso
Spanish Painter, Sculptor, Printmaker, Ceramicist, and Theatre Designer
1881-1973
"We all know that Art is not truth.
Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth,
at least the truth that is given to us to understand.”
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| Guernica, 1937, Oil on Canvas, approx 11.5 x 25.5 ft. |
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Lebanese Architect, Artist, Writer, Creative Interlocutor
b. 1986
"There is a big similarity between art and propaganda."
(Raafat Majzoub is interested in learning propaganda properly.)
“Propaganda shall be taught in school
(the same way math is taught)
to enable people to distinguish and
co-create influential public narratives.”
(The heart of Raafat Majzoub’s work is to)
"perform reality so that reality complies."
Artemis Akchoti Shahbazi, blog post 3/29/202
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Jerry GRANELLI
American-Canadian Jazz Drummer
1940 - 2021
"There is no right or wrong.
There is no way to know what was right and what was wrong."
from: Art and Propaganda; The Artist and the Change-make, Artemis Akchoti Shahbazi, blog post 3/29/2021
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| Drawing of Kurosh by Lisl Steiner |
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| Gender, |
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| Gender ID |
From crib to coffin, we are put in boxes. At birth, our gender is recorded by checking one of two boxes; male or female. Just out of the womb, we are assigned a lifetime of expectations and limitations. While growing up we see variations in others and in ourselves. This personal sense of gender, our gender identity, forms at the age of 3 and raises the number of options from 2 to 32+. This larger set of gender glyphs is all-inclusive. It is well-meaning yet myopic, as they are still trying to put us in a box. Beware, as the box that describes you today may ultimately define you.*
For more: Gender ID
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American Structured Improvisation Artist
b. 1946
"We cannot intervene, but we can interrupt."
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| Steve Clorfeine, from Nomad Project #4, 2017. Photo: Christine Alicino |
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Swiss-Iranian Artist
b. 1972
"Being stuck is a moment when I have the opportunity to stay in an in-between state of discomfort, to become intimate with my discomfort. When stuck, I may escape the opportunity to become intimate with discomfort and can use the experience as an opportunity to intervene. However, intervening is solution based, I choose to pursue an agenda. I know my agenda, and I constrain my authentic self, my own Art, in it. This choice is a choice of Propaganda."
"On the other hand, interruption is when I genuinely feel what is needed, but in the process, sometimes before the process, something happens, maybe I encounter fear and, for now, my art ends somewhere before its authentic end."
"On the other hand, interruption is when I genuinely feel what is needed, but in the process, sometimes before the process, something happens, maybe I encounter fear and, for now, my art ends somewhere before its authentic end."
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Iranian-American Research Artist
b.1966
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| Self Portrait,2011 |
The Islamic Republic of Nazis, Vinyl on 32 Posts, Perimeter Fence of Los Angeles County Museum, 4 ft. x 16 ft., 2023
(Within an hour of completing my installation, facility security had removed it.
By noon the LA Police Department started a Hate Crime investigation based on
photographic evidence taken from one side, showing only the swastika,)
for more: The Islamic Republic of Nazis
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Manish SRIVASTAVA
Indian, Poet and facilitator of contemplative art
b. 1974
(In contemplative social arts, the practitioner is asked not to have an agenda. The artist’s source of creation is beyond the concrete - a place of not-knowing, a universal world, and she flows, moment by moment, with what is. The activist has an objective to reach. This is where the artist and the activist diverge.)
from: Art and Propaganda; The Artist and the Change-maker, Artemis Akchoti Shahbazi, blog post 3/29/2021
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Chinese Artist, Documentarian, Activist
b. 1957
Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei believes
PBS journalist SREENIVASAN asks:
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| from Zodiac (2024), a graphic memoir by Ai Weiwei |
"You write in the book that — any artist who isn’t an activist is a dead artist. And I wonder, in the climate that you’re describing, if there is this kind of increased scrutiny on expression and freedom. How should an artist proceed when their work or their views might be in greater danger?"
WEIWEI replies:
"Well, artists basically is a human being who is not very practically functioning. And that’s why their voice are very important, because they don’t have to say something which against their intuition or their sensitivity. But today’s artists are very corrupted, because of education, because of the market, because of the, you know, capitalism, and made everything measured by price. So, there’s a very few artists willing to openly just give out their opinions or to express it successfully to — you know, to communicate with artistic way. You know, to give a unique position. And so, that’s the condition."
Interviewed by correspondent Hari Sreenivasan, Jan 30, 2024
As a Chinese dissident who has been repeatedly harassed by his government, Ai Weiwei is expressing his disappointment in popular artist who are not adding their voice to the global call for universal freedom of expression. Calling them corrupt for seeking commercial success is hypocritical, considering Weiwei blue-chip status. Swapping a couple words in Ai Weiwei's statement could change his counter-productive criticism into sound advice on how to make activism more effective.
Any activist who isn’t an artist is a dead activist.
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More quotes by artists describing art and its possible role in movement building.
Leo Tolstoy
‘Art is a way to communicate emotion with the ultimate goal of uniting humanity.’
Jean-Luc Goddard
‘Art brings things together that don’t seem to be.'
Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso
‘You should have an idea of what you want to do. But it should be a vague idea.’
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Topics to be added:
Implying Objectivity Using Primary Source
Dismissing messages from the margins as propaganda
Importance of Authenticity
What type of campaigns warrant a creative advocacy?
How do you measure impact/success?
