Political art often depresses societies that are usually already familiar to their "situation" and although it has the important task of deconstructing topics that are sometimes idly talked about, many times it works as a contribution towards the normalization of a problem. Despite its shortcomings, political art has functioned as a new tool to establish precedent imperatives to find information that is often difficult to digest. Although it may sound cynical that a privileged white man (as many of us are) criticizes political art, since having happily walked alongside the rest of the 1% for many years involves a set of strange consequences. Such lively hood may appear to be a kind of comfort, in a way, having lived in a part of society that turns out to be stupid and Philistine to then reject it indicates that there is an understanding of it. Said understanding is a fundamental part of a tacit and constant change that turns privileged peoples into paradoxical artists (or professionals of any field) who in empirical matters are nourished by different philosophical and artistic foundations, in order to create works that in addition to elevating themselves with the latter; represent a change in life that works as the perfect example of a possible and fruitful metamorphosis.
Art that only works to swell the pockets of gallery owners and collectors is very easy to find in biennials, museums, galleries and fairs, but there must also be art that comes from the neo-conceptual and grows in a Hegelian way. In other words, that it improves with the recognition of the past error and thus overcomes. Political art is a vehicle that has been observing the injustices of the contemporary world in very valuable ways and that has also promoted artistic innovation for many years (especially in Latin America, artists such as Doris Salcedo, Ana Mendieta, Gabriel Orozco, Wilfredo Prieto, Tania Bruguera , Teresa Margolles, Pedro Reyes, Rubén Ortiz Torres, Yoshua Okón and Minerva Cuevas (among others)), but now there are new generations of artists who rarely focus on models other than those that emerged in the 1980s and 1990s. Post-Modernism has already ended due to the fact that today there are techniques and technologies that did not exist two years ago (not to mention twenty years ago), and that therefore can be used for the creation of works never before possible. Take for example the oeuvre of Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, his work is indisputably unprecedented and not only because he talks about relevant subjects using the proper means, but because he employs unusual techniques and technological advances in order to create.
So what is the solution, if any exists?
The answer may lie within art, hidden in one of the most elitist galleries in the world, but the solution does not. The reality is that we can paint with blood, sweat or urine, but the victims of drug trafficking are not going to dissipate, nor is corruption or nepotism (an interesting term to analyze in the art world) going to stop nor any of the negative consequences of necrocapitalism¹ unless a structural change is brought about in the irresponsible sociological and political maneuvers within third world governments. Us artists must not be so pretentious as to affirm the consequences of our works, not only because ambiguity exists and discourses are subject to different interpretations. Rather, we should encourage viewers to think, question, and use their intellect in order to forge a strong and educated way of thinking. If artistic work is seen as a way to impose certain totalitarian constructs, then art becomes a style of << snobbish fascism >> that instead of proposing, delimits what is politically correct and incorrect in an absurd and arbitrary manner. When this happens, it is not possible to speak about certain issues that are actually being taken for granted and that are difficult to understand empirically, causing confusion within the communication between the different socioeconomic sectors, ending up in making the social contrasts even worse.
This thought seeks to influence a society in a way that understands its past generations and tries to confront the paradigms of any spectator by alluding (sometimes in very ambiguous ways) to the possible improvement within the structural flaws of neoliberalism or, where appropriate, of the structure in force within its context. The first step to be able and understand or conceive the approach of any work that can be related to the thought that continues to be raised here is current philosophical and political knowledge; but of a responsible and as objective reading as possible. Objective in the sense that a firm leftist or rightist posture is rejected and that thus includes a well-founded compression of both sides. It is also imperative to understand (always through reading) that the current political and philosophical waves of thought are as stable as a kayak in the open sea and that they are constantly changing. For this reason, this writing can be better seen as a conscious thought of the uninterrupted change that the information today implies and that the artistic work; using concepts, shapes, and results, don't just employ a default or recognizable style in any of the terms listed below:
Esthetic
Concept
Shape
Technique
Registry
This writing serves as a foundation for an intellectual art, which will probably be seen more by the privileged than by the proletariat, but which regardless of that encourages viewers to stop promoting ignorance and neo-liberal or leftist cynicism. This writing is part of the thinking of the artists who seek the acceleration of thought from our work and invites any other (artist or not) to stop looking for answers on the internet and to start formulating ideas in an educated and well-founded way; always understanding that reason is subjective. If the work of art makes viewers think and in doing so inculcates new ideas as well as new paradigms, perhaps tomorrow some dysfunctional system can be improved.
This thought comes from the works and ideas of the following artists, thinkers and philosophers: Irmgard Emmelhainz,, Carmen Winant, Melanie Bühler, Bernadette Wegenstein, Yoshua Okón, Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Teresa Margolles, Gabriel Orozco, Wilfredo Prieto , Tania Bruguera, Pedro Reyes, Rubén Ortiz Torres, Armen Avenessian, Nick Land, Franco "Bifo" Beradi, Tiziana Terranova, Laboria Cuboniks, Benedict Singleton, Hito Steyerl and Mark Fisher.
