“Art no longer contests anything, if it ever did.” -Jean Baudrillard

“It is essential that the minority advocate the necessity of going on an ‘active art strike’ using the machines of the culture industry to set it in total contradiction to itself. The intention is not to end the rule of production, but to change the most adventurous part of ‘artistic’ production into the production of revolutionary ideas, forms and techniques.” -Alain Jouffroy

The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of artists ’round the world are shafted as they are simply considered no fiscal priority.

Art Strike 1977-1980 was helmed by Gustav Metzger and the Art Workers Coalition calling for artists to withdraw their labor for a minimum of three years.

Art Strike 1990-1998 was led by Stewart Home aiming for much the same thing.

Last June, Graham Martin tried for much the same thing.

Whether the Art Strike is more about the fiscal downfall of the artist or the lack of identity and direct social implication that befalls an artist, and no matter where one’s own personal fiscal priorities lie, a society without art, in all shapes and also sizes, is a mind boggling notion near possible to conceptualize and understand. What would the world be like? And perhaps the contributions of artists should not be so short changed.

Sources: http://www.foldgallery.co.uk/artstrike/index.html

http://stewarthomesociety.org/artstrik.htm

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