Over the course of my life I have watched the movie Swing Kids at least 30 times. I still swoon at the sight of Christian Bale and cry at the end of the movie. Among other topics, Swing Kids is about teenagers in Germany who refused to join Hitler's youth organization. To further "revolt" they would go swing dancing and listen to banned music.
I admire those who make and support art even when the government and society fight against it.
Artist Käthe Kollwitz had amazing tenacity and bravery when in 1933 she was forced by the Nazi party to resign her faculty position at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. Her artwork was also confiscated and removed from all museums. She kept working. She completed a new series of lithographs entitled, Death.
Death Seizes a Woman, Käthe Kollwitz
Censorship and banning still occur today and artists continue to impress me with their strong resolve. Back in 2010 MoCA director Jeffrey Deitch asked artist Blu to change his artwork after commissioning the artist to create an installation at the museum's entrance. To that Blu replied, "I will not do that, for obvious reasons, and [I'm] not the artist best suited for this task." (more)
In 2011, Tears of Gaza, an exhibition of artwork created by Palestinian children, was cancelled by the Oakland Museum of Children's Art. Organizers pulled together and showed the work in a nearby space. The exhibition continued to travel and was shown in San Diego in 2012. (more)
Last September Chinese cultural officials banned over 10 works of art from the SH Contemporary Art Fair. Here's one of the censored artworks by Chi Peng. (more). These artist keep moving forward.
Artwork by Chi Peng
It takes courage to make art. It takes even more courage to put your art out into the world. It takes the most courage to make art in a world that is fighting against it.
I don't know what it feels like to live in a society that doesn't allow me to speak my mind. I hope that if I did I wouldn't let that stop me.
1 comment:
Great post Lauren!! Thought provoking!!
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