Artivism

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Artivist is a portmanteau word combining "art" and "activist". Frank Berganza has states: "When one pushes for change, socially, politically, or environmentally, by utilizing their creative ability to communicate in ways of their artistic activity, that shall be known as Artivism". Artivism developed in recent years while the antiwar and anti-globalization protests emerged and proliferated. In most of the cases artivists attempt to push political agendas by the means of art, but the focus on raising social, environmental and technical awareness, has increased exponentially as people has started to loose faith in politics and the current socioeconomic system. Besides using traditional mediums like film and music as ways to raise awareness or push for change, an artivist can also be involved in culture jamming, subvertising, street art, spoken word, protesting and activism.

Artica Concepts' "You Cut Art, You Cut Culture"

Banksys "Bomb-hugger"

John Fekner Madison Avenue, NYC

In some cases, Paris in 2003 for instance, artivists were arrested for acts of political art that verged on property destruction. A typical short term goal of artivists is to reclaim public space, especially by subvertising or destroying ads in urban areas or city transportation systems. Nevertheless artivists engage in different media like utilizing the Internet not only for actions which could be described as hacktivism.

There is a chapter on Artivism in It's Bigger Than Hip Hop by M.K. Asante, Jr.. Asante writes of the artivist:

The artivist (artist +activist) uses her artistic talents to fight and struggle against injustice and oppression—by any medium necessary. The artivist merges commitment to freedom and justice with the pen, the lens, the brush, the voice, the body, and the imagination. The artivist knows that to make an observation is to have an obligation.

Artivists

• Above
• Ana Kefr
• Anomie Belle
• Ashara Ekundayo
• Banksy
• Bleeps.gr
• Frank Berganza
• JoFF Rae
• John Fekner
• JR
• Norm Magnusson
• Pavel 183
• phelgo
• Peter Joseph
• Will St Leger

Collectives & Organizations

• ARTIVIST : creative by any means necessary!
• Artivist Film Festival
• Artica Concepts
• Crass
• Da! collective
• MYSTYLe art

See also

• Avant-garde
• Edutainment
• Whirl-Mart
• Treasure Hill
• Pan African Arts Society