Assessing Socially Engaged Art (2019)
By Vid Simoniti
The last twenty-five years have seen a radical shift in the work of politically committed artists. No longer content to merely represent social reality, a new generation of artists has sought to change it, blending art with activism, social regeneration projects, and even violent political action.
I assess how this form of contemporary art should lead us to rethink theories of artistic value and argue that these works make a convincing case for an often-dismissed position, namely, the pragmatic view of artistic value. However, the pragmatic view, when properly applied, sets the bar high indeed—art that tries to
change society should considered good art only when it succeeds in making a tangible difference
More information:
SIMONITI, V. (2018), Assessing Socially Engaged Art. The Journal of Aesthetics and ArtCriticism , 76: 71–82. doi:10.1111/jaac.12414
Paper available to read at: Academia.edu