Quote from: cantle on June 09, 2023, 04:42:43 PM
QuoteAs much as I'm sure at least half the people on here will hate that I'm saying this, the 2016 campaign of Trump, his election, and all that followed (nonstop media hysteria, russiagate, Bush era spooks responsible for the death of millions accusing anonymous twitter users of fascism, etc) is the only really transgressive thing, or perhaps art, of this era. For a brief window, everyone in America understood intimately that our politics were a hollow shit show where monsters claim to be victims and killers claim to be heroes and liars claim to be impartial arbiters of truth.
Is it art when it is not a conscious creation but a result of just being, in this case Ttrump's actions. Politics is just showbusiness for ugly people after all....
Maybe Trump is not the artists, but the artist is the collective behind it?
I do think notion of art is interesting also from perspective that are there situations where art is no longer welcomed, as it is seen to distract or confuse something more important. Like politics, for example. To bring art into place where it is not wanted or usually not understood.
As example, during the immigrant crisis, Finland has uprise of street patrols, one of most visible was Soldiers of Odin crew, with hundreds of people. As opposition, antifascists had LOLdiers of Odin group, that was people dressed in clowns making fun of situation. Of course media was loving it, and invited three clowns into live morning TV. Media people, who were clearly prepared to talk real politics, real issues, faced clowns who... kept acting like clowns.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxMg-b9bJY8 As a result, entire nation was laughing either to media or antifascists or entire situation. It appeared that most people did not "get it". Especially regular folks were abhorred, that we face this important political debate and it turns into joke. Anti-immigrant people laughed for absurdity that antifascists supposedly wasted their chance to voice opinion at media. Some serious antifascists had same concerns. Why not bring solid arguments to table? In re-runs, TV station edited away entire segment of show and decided not to air it anymore. What it really shows, is that anytime TV hosts asks question that has certain political bias and strawman argument in it, clowns offer "hobby horse" (in finnish language keppihevonen, hobby horse, doesn't mean only topic about which someone loves to talk at great length, but can mean close the same as strawman argument. Like using rape threat as argument to oppress all incoming immigrants). In about 3 minutes part of mention clip you'll see pretty great moment when journalist appear totally miss the point. Any time when seemingly serious question is asked, clowns just keep goofing around and replying to questions of safety of streets with repeating "we also have hobby horse"!
Of course, a lot of people get it, but it seemed clear that vast majority did not.
Almost like Laibach -moment, where the system is exposed, and system is unable to respond and becomes confused, when art unexpectedly takes over and refuses to play in terms of normally agreed.
Does the confusion and performance art work when arena is something else than it is supposed to be? Of course we are no longer talking about "collage art" here, but I do feel there is very common idea that art is the expression that happens in some sort of own artistic space, for entertainment purposes of art lovers and then the real arena of politics, business or whatever, is for grown ups and serious biz not to be played with.
Yet, in moment when interview seems to be purposeful, almost scripted routine, suddenly exposing it to laughable joke, it is very clear the art exposes its nature, while concerned intelligent political responponse would have given question legitimate authority, not exposed what the questions really are.
I realize that some argue that this is dangerous zone, if we can't anymore trust if we are dealing with something "real" or just weird spectacle. Well, indeed! One can look into politics or economy, and wonder if any other than artistic reply would be worth consideration?
