Looking Through the Creative Lens: Activism in Art

Angel Luangaphay

Ms. Schilly

WRT 105

18 March 2021

Looking Through a Creative Lens: Activism in Art 

In our world’s current state, it is difficult to not be confronted with the ways it is constantly changing. There is hardly anything in life that isn’t continuously being transformed, some changes are good or bad, while others create fear and anxiety. What will happen to our society today, the next day, and the day after are questions that we constantly ask ourselves - but if we are sure of one thing, it’s that we are in control of how we perceive and implement change. Time and time again we see instances of inequality, racism, and police brutality infiltrating our society, but it seems that our pleas for change are not being met. Protesting is the language of the unheard and comes in many forms, one of them being art. Many artists utilize their art to call attention to issues in our society while also representing the human experience through an artistic lens. Although some forms of protest art do not immediately signal a certain issue at first glance, the audience is encouraged to analyze art that ultimately pushes them to reevaluate cultural norms. 

Keith Haring, Diego Rivera, and Banksy are all but a few names that have dedicated their art to redefining social norms. The aim of art activism is to actively address cultural power structures rather than simply describing or representing them. Haring’s art for example uses his signature figures and colorful mural paintings to represent issues such as AIDs awareness, while Banksy uses graffiti art to criticize unfair establishment practices. No matter the method or style of art that an artist uses, they are still able to use their platform to move the minds and souls of people around them. Banksy’s art has been effective in combining art with strategic activism that is necessary to bring about socio-political change. His art piece, “Stop and Search” is illustrated in his usual black and white stenciling technique, but like his other pieces, it is deeply rooted in satire and criticism for conventional social systems. 

Banksy combines satirical street art and dark political humor that serves as the ultimate exposé on all things controversial. He has been able to recognize art’s critical position in our society’s cultural identity, allowing him to use art as a powerful weapon.  However, many of his pieces do not directly call attention to the problem. “Stop and Search” by Banksy is just one example of a work of art that requires the audience to be more analytical of what they are seeing. 

The two characters in the piece are a police officer dressed in riot gear and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, which shows a definite juxtaposition. If I were to ask you to think about what comes to mind when you think of police officers and Dorothy, you would most likely have completely different ideas. When people think of police officers, ideas of authority, protection, and even violence come to mind, while Dorothy is considered a symbol of innocence and nostalgia. Understanding Banksy’s use of these characters to represent the specific idea in his piece provides people with perspective and new ways of thinking. Although the effect of certain artwork can be subtle and hard to measure, a good art piece always has a surplus of meaning. 

The Stop and Search policy allows police officers in the UK to stop any person that they believe has been involved in a crime or in possession of a weapon, without a warrant. This has been highly criticized for having significant racial disparity against ethnic minorities as compared to white people (Reid 1). Banky’s “Stop and Search” perfectly represents the mistreatment against innocent people that utilizes Dorothy as a symbol of these groups. The painting clearly shows the policeman searching Dorothy, and the only part of the artwork that is not black and white are his blue gloves. This draws attention to the idea that his hands and aggressive grip on Dorothy’s basket are used to symbolize the control and power he possesses. It is also important to realize that Dorothy’s imminent goal is to get home, similar to how the victims of Stop and Search simply try to go about their day without being placed in an invasive situation against their will. Banksy shows his audience that a character as seemingly virtuous as Dorothy isn’t safe from being mishandled by the police, accentuating the absurdity of the policy. 

 This art piece identifies a certain power dynamic between the police officer and Dorothy, or the police system in general and the minority groups that are disproportionately targeted by this 

policy.

This idea is particularly relevant because it confronts an issue that has been present in our society for decades: police establishments becoming increasingly invasive and controlling rather than protective. In the article “Stop and Search is inherently unfair, unjust, and ineffectual”, David Lammy details his own experience with being targeted and his realization that Stop and Search is an integral part “in a racially disproportionate criminal justice system” (par. #). Many people might not be able to resonate with his trauma and mistreatment, however, art pieces like “Stop and Search” instill empathy and a need for change in its viewers. The policy not only unfairly targets minorities, but also perpetuates a false stigma that these groups are inherently dangerous and prone to criminal behavior. One might not gather this information by simply looking at the artwork, but as we peel back the underlying messages that are layered into the work we can become more critical of the social systems that have surrounded us. 

Art and Activism are things that seem to not go hand in hand, but in actuality are complimentary. Activism is the act of challenging cultural norms, power relations, and social systems that aim to create an effect or change. On the flip side, art is not such an easy target and is hard to decipher what it exactly stands with or against. However, we know that art aims to affect people emotionally and provide us with fresh perspectives. These claims at first glance seem to be at odds with one another, but shows that any social or political change doesn’t simply occur at random, and only happens when people decide they want change. Art is a powerful outlet that drives these decisions through emotion and human experience. Although art can be difficult to decipher at times, the ability for artists to push people to become more aware of the world around them is crucial in implementing change. It shows that we as a society are moved by affective experiences such as art, to do physical actions that result in concrete effects.