Comments on: Art and Politicking (and in defence of art) http://www.arterimalaysia.com/2009/06/30/art-and-politicking-and-in-defence-of-art/ Interactions with Art, Life & Culture | Pasrah mesra memblog Fri, 12 Mar 2010 17:31:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: June Y http://www.arterimalaysia.com/2009/06/30/art-and-politicking-and-in-defence-of-art/#comment-1438 June Y Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:32:52 +0000 http://www.arterimalaysia.com/?p=3118#comment-1438 Hey Sharon, thanks for the comment. I take liberties (and privilege) in my commentary as much as I am also speaking as a self-conscious ‘insider’ of a particular context/situation. I do not however mean that art is ‘above’ fray, it may be understood by audiences/critics as being ‘above’ it but that is itself a particular contextualised reading as well. As for ‘defence’, it is said tongue-in-cheek, generally art hardly needs ‘defending’… but sometimes the social-political-cultural context might appear to call for it, and some do, but it’s not like it has to be done on principle (opinion). On ‘acquiescing’, it is a fine line between that and activating something from ‘inside’ for sure, so how far a work has ‘acquiesced’ depends on the context as well. Hi Olly & rotikosong, thanks too! Hey Sharon, thanks for the comment. I take liberties (and privilege) in my commentary as much as I am also speaking as a self-conscious ‘insider’ of a particular context/situation. I do not however mean that art is ‘above’ fray, it may be understood by audiences/critics as being ‘above’ it but that is itself a particular contextualised reading as well. As for ‘defence’, it is said tongue-in-cheek, generally art hardly needs ‘defending’… but sometimes the social-political-cultural context might appear to call for it, and some do, but it’s not like it has to be done on principle (opinion). On ‘acquiescing’, it is a fine line between that and activating something from ‘inside’ for sure, so how far a work has ‘acquiesced’ depends on the context as well.
Hi Olly & rotikosong, thanks too!

]]> By: Olly http://www.arterimalaysia.com/2009/06/30/art-and-politicking-and-in-defence-of-art/#comment-1417 Olly Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:22:14 +0000 http://www.arterimalaysia.com/?p=3118#comment-1417 Hi Sharon you wrote, "re-examining our roles as members of society and finding the most effective way of operating within it." That should not mean that we back down from the challenge of confronting oppressive Asian states. You mentioned Burma: 'The Mustache Brothers' make satirical performances and can only perform their work from their own home, but that doesn't stop them from continuing to do and be effective in their own way(s). Most importantly, oppressive system or not, artists should never feel prohibited from expressing themselves if they understand and accept the consequences that follow. And from what I know of all the jailed artists in the world, they were ready for it. And lastly, on being martyrs and victims, I think its an inevitable part and parcel of what these more 'direct artists' do and accept. If some of them don't confront the autocrats for what they are, then we'd live in a very sad and passive world as far as art's response is concerned. Hi Sharon you wrote, “re-examining our roles as members of society and finding the most effective way of operating within it.”

That should not mean that we back down from the challenge of confronting oppressive Asian states.

You mentioned Burma: ‘The Mustache Brothers’ make satirical performances and can only perform their work from their own home, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing to do and be effective in their own way(s).

Most importantly, oppressive system or not, artists should never feel prohibited from expressing themselves if they understand and accept the consequences that follow. And from what I know of all the jailed artists in the world, they were ready for it.

And lastly, on being martyrs and victims, I think its an inevitable part and parcel of what these more ‘direct artists’ do and accept. If some of them don’t confront the autocrats for what they are, then we’d live in a very sad and passive world as far as art’s response is concerned.

]]> By: Sharon Chin http://www.arterimalaysia.com/2009/06/30/art-and-politicking-and-in-defence-of-art/#comment-1416 Sharon Chin Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:47:25 +0000 http://www.arterimalaysia.com/?p=3118#comment-1416 June, can you explain this contradiction: you declare the status of the artist as 'insider' and yet maintain that it's the privilege of the artist to decide if their work is activism/politics/wank/whatever. So according to your view artists act from the inside of culture, but their work has the right to be autonomous, self-determined, somehow above the chaotic fray of the very social situation that it's born from. I find it regressive that art needs defending. It makes me think of a virgin stranded in her tower. Goenawan Mohamed: 'In truth, it is not possible to say, I choose independence, but at the same time I do not choose danger... I cannot only choose a creative life, and not be prepared, like Adam, to be expelled from blissful paradise into the restless world of creation.' Artists are smart people who surely have an idea of what they're getting into when they make a piece of work. Make no mistake about it, censorship in the special 'Asian democracies' that characterize South East Asian countries is a cat and mouse game. In Myanmar I witnessed that the very survival of art and artists depended on how well one understood the social reality one was operating in - does that mean art 'acquiesced to the dominant ideology', as you say? No. It means really climbing down from that tower, getting dirty, re-examining our roles as members of society and finding the most effective way of operating within it. Otherwise we'll always be outsiders, martyrs and victims. Time to move beyond. June, can you explain this contradiction: you declare the status of the artist as ‘insider’ and yet maintain that it’s the privilege of the artist to decide if their work is activism/politics/wank/whatever.

So according to your view artists act from the inside of culture, but their work has the right to be autonomous, self-determined, somehow above the chaotic fray of the very social situation that it’s born from.

I find it regressive that art needs defending. It makes me think of a virgin stranded in her tower.

Goenawan Mohamed: ‘In truth, it is not possible to say, I choose independence, but at the same time I do not choose danger… I cannot only choose a creative life, and not be prepared, like Adam, to be expelled from blissful paradise into the restless world of creation.’

Artists are smart people who surely have an idea of what they’re getting into when they make a piece of work. Make no mistake about it, censorship in the special ‘Asian democracies’ that characterize South East Asian countries is a cat and mouse game. In Myanmar I witnessed that the very survival of art and artists depended on how well one understood the social reality one was operating in – does that mean art ‘acquiesced to the dominant ideology’, as you say? No. It means really climbing down from that tower, getting dirty, re-examining our roles as members of society and finding the most effective way of operating within it.

Otherwise we’ll always be outsiders, martyrs and victims. Time to move beyond.

]]> By: rotikosong http://www.arterimalaysia.com/2009/06/30/art-and-politicking-and-in-defence-of-art/#comment-1404 rotikosong Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:07:35 +0000 http://www.arterimalaysia.com/?p=3118#comment-1404 My parents took away my toys, my teachers confiscated my pron, my boss blocked my favorite websites, my society despised debates, my government censored my media, my gods forbade my desires to sin. What am I left with? American Idol...phew My parents took away my toys,
my teachers confiscated my pron,
my boss blocked my favorite websites,
my society despised debates,
my government censored my media,
my gods forbade my desires to sin.

What am I left with?
American Idol…phew

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