Art Threat - Political Art JournalArt Threat - Political Art JournalArt Threat is a journal of political art. We embrace art that confronts, interrogates, or even shrugs off the status quo, and explore pressing issues affecting art and culture, stimulating debate on the world around us and how it is interpreted. 
Articles
The Oscar nominees: still white, still men
2008-01-24 19:43:00 Oscar season is upon us again, and after an initial peruse of the nominees it seemed fitting to dig out an image from the Guerrilla Girls archives (above). Way back in 2002 the LA-based activist feminist group launched a campaign protesting and drawing attention to the fact that old Oscar seems to represent a certain kind of artist ? namely one who is white and male. Although there are self-described progressive sites in the blogosphere heralding this as a great year for ?progressive films,? such is the case with Adam Howard?s post on Alternet, it?s hard for this film fan to get excited about Hollywood?s ?unapologetic liberal? George Clooney sweeping the nominations (and don?t get me wrong, he?s perfectly dreamy and political). Yes, it seems that the Guerrilla Girls? critique from 2002 still holds: out of all the acting nominations there is one non-white actor, and of all the nominations in general (excluding gendered categories of course) there are very few women. Reading this exc... More About: White , Oscar
Beyond Banksy: artists are finding practical paths to change
2008-01-23 23:10:00 In a piece for the New Statesman, veteran political artist Peter Kennard believes we are living through "an exciting time for political art"?and I'm definitely not one to disagree. While Banksy continues to grab the headlines, Kennard argues he's just the poster boy for a increasingly influential movement of artists whose political commitments are communicated on canvas, in clay, and in the case of Santa's Ghetto, on 425 miles of concrete wall that imprisons Palestinians in their own land. Sticking up a poster or painting the Separation Wall in the West Bank might sound inconsequential, but these are highly practical ways to help, in contrast to the intellectual interventions prevalent in much contemporary art. They contribute to a town and a people that are having their lifeblood strangled out of them. In this context, it is important that the work communicates directly to the Palestinian people. While there has been a move to take on contemporary issues in a direct way in the... More About: Israel , Graffiti , Change , Artists
The Aquaduct: a funky trike that filters water as you pedal
2008-01-23 16:03:00 Meet the Aquaduct Mobile Filtration Vehicle. The winner of the Innovate or Die design competition for progressive pedal-powered inventions, the Aquaduct is a tricycle that stores, filters, and transports water for the developing world. Previously on Art Threat: Greener Gadgets design competition Garbage to Greenhouse in Four Easy Steps More About: Water , Filters , Funky , Pedal
The Purge of the Penguins: politics dominate Oscar nominations
2008-01-22 17:36:00 There will be no tuxedoed birds waddling down the red carpet this year. The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and the Best Documentary Feature category is bursting with political content. The customary war flicks are there, as is the perennial Michael Moore nod, along with... oh wait, that's it. The recipe for Oscar success is clear: make a movie about war, or be lucky enough to work with the big guy. And the nominees are: No End in Sight: A comprehensive look at the Bush Administration's conduct of the Iraq war and its occupation of the country. Operation Homecoming: A unique documentary about troops' experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan, based on writings by soldiers, Marines, and air men. Sicko: Michael Moore's latest film, comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories. Taxi to the Dark Side: An in-depth look at the torture practices of the United States in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, focusing o... More About: Politics , Purge
Persepolis pierces with laughter and sorrow?and rocks the best ever cover o
2008-01-21 21:35:00 How to buy Iron Maiden tapes during a repressive regime, keeping aging breasts round by soaking them in ice water for ten minutes a day, surviving war and tyranny as well as Austrian nihilists, and what to say to get kicked out of a nunnery in the middle of winter in Vienna. Persepolis , the animated feature film based on the bestselling graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi , is the political film currently winning accolades around the world (except Iran) and for good reason: not only can you discover the above secrets and negotiations of life through the poignant and vulnerable writing of Satrapi, but the animation is exquisite. The film also contains possibly the best bit of media-facilitated revenge I have ever seen exacted on an ex-lover. If I was that loser living in Austria, I'd be thinking twice before messing with another cartoonist like the driven, talented and fierce Satrapi. While ruminating on our present age of computer animation typified by Disney's creatively bankrupt Ca... More About: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , Cover , Laughter
A house that hacks itself and architecture inspired by the energy crisis
2008-01-21 19:31:00 The Reconfigurable House takes a lo-tech jab at hi-tech "smart homes", whose not-so-smart design isn't able to adapt over time. You won't get stuck with outdated components in this protobungalow, as it can be easily and cheaply modified even by electronics novices. Just don't neglect your adobe, for if the house gets bored it will reconfigure itself. Even further down the low tech ladder are the eco-friendly bamboo louvres that give this skinny Spanish building respite from the sun—and exorbitant air conditioning bills. Residents of this Foreign Office Architects invention can customize the placement of the louvres, creating "the possibility of a differentiated appearance of the units so that inhabitants would have the opportunity to acquire some form of personal identification with their residences." (Treehugger) More energy-conscious architecure can be found at the Canadian Centre for Architecture —my personal favourite museum in Montreal—which launched Sorry, ... More About: Hacks , Energy , A House
Saving Lives at the U.S. / Mexico Border With Art
2008-01-21 14:00:00 The Transborder Immigrant Tool uses GPS-enabled mobile phones to help immigrants crossing the border between Mexico and the United States. Artist Ricardo Dominguez has combined an inexpensive mobile phone with built-in GPS and visual navigation tools to produce a device intended to reduce the number of deaths that occur each year among the thousands of migrants who try to cross from Mexico into the United States. The phone has a visual system that works like a compass and helps immigrants locate resources such as water caches, safety beacons and highways by vibrating when within a certain proximities. The project is in its first phase, but Dominguez hopes to have 500 phones ready for distribution through workshops by the end of the year. The project was awarded the Transnational Communities Award in 2007. Check out MobileActive.org for more info. More About: Lives , Saving
Justin Renteria and gang violence in Los Angeles
2008-01-19 06:23:00 This image was sent to our PO box from the artist and contained the following text: For the last several years, residents of the Harbor Gateway neighborhood of Los Angeles have been terrorized by members of the 204th Street gang. The predominantly Hispanic 204s have been targeting African Americans, children in particular. As a Hispanic, I am sickened. As a human being, I am outraged. I abhor all gang violence, but this kind of hate fueled murder and intimidation is beyond unacceptable. I hoped that to call attention to the situation with this piece, and to say that I, along with the vast majority of Hispanics, condemn this kind of behavior. My deepest sympathies go out to the victims of the 204s, and their families. You can see more of Renteria's work, which has appeared in the Progressive and Adbusters, at his website. More About: Gang , Violence , Justin
Beating to a different drum: an interview with Jackie Gallant
2008-01-17 20:39:00 This December, I attended Jackie Gallant ?s performance and discussion at GIV (Groupe intervention vidéo, in Montréal, Canada). Gallant?s ?drumming? is nothing short of hypnotic, soothing and brilliant. I had the opportunity to interview her in light of her innovative sound work, curious about her inspirations, motivations, and how it all came together technologically. Gallant?s set-up was, her, surrounded by various drumming pads and mixers, pedals and wires?but the sounds were unmistakably affective. Art Threat: Hi Jackie! So, how would you describe what you do? How would you describe your sound? Jackie Gallant: With this project I am triggering samples using an electronic drum pad to create sound pieces. Basically I find samples, manipulate them using keyboards and computer software and then map the sounds into drum pads so that they can be ?played? much like a traditional drum kit. I then improvise using the processed samples. The source material comes from a variety of places... More About: Interview , Drum , Beating
Sorrow of the Soldier rap video ruffles right wing feathers
2008-01-16 20:27:00 There's nothing like an anti-war cartoon to get American neocons all in a ruffle. "Sorrow of the Soldier", a beautifully animated music video launched earlier this week, is pushing the buttons of right-wing yanks who continue to support the occupation of Iraq . The video features US Rapper Mark Prysler who tells the story of Lucas, a blue collar guy who runs out of options and turns to the army for escape. He's shipped of to Iraq where he learns that the war isn't anything like the fantasy sold to him by Bush and friends. Released simultaneously in five different versions featuring remixes by five different artists, this video has more options than George W has supporters in the Republican primaries. Available in plain, mint, banana, cheese, and peanut butter flavours, everyone is sure to find a version that jives with their musical preferences. Oh right?everyone except those right-wing nut jobs who are polluting blogs with insightful comments like this: "If this kid knew anyth... More About: Video , United Kingdom , Right Wing , Wing
Call for submissions: International Environmental Film & Video Festival in
2008-01-14 20:20:00 Planet in Focus: International Environmental Film & Video Festival, Toronto, Canada , October 22-26, 2008 Attention Filmmakers: Call for Submissions now open! Planet in Focus, Canada???s most acclaimed international environmental film and video festival, showcases outstanding and compelling films and videos covering a broad range of environmental themes by Canadian and international filmmakers. Our mission is to screen and promote the use of film and video across Canada and internationally as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion, and appropriate action on the environmental, ecological and social health of the planet. Recognizing that the 'environment' is contested terrain, both as a biophysical entity and as a philosophical frame, Planet in Focus invites submissions in all genres that critically examine the concept of 'environment' and challenge current human/nature relations. Festival Highlights: Green Market & Industry Centre: Filmmakers, producers, sales agents...
Call for submissions: International Environmental Film & Video Festival in
2008-01-14 20:20:00 Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival is seeking submissions. Canada ?s most acclaimed international environmental film and video festival, Planet in Focus showcases outstanding and compelling films and videos covering a broad range of environmental themes by Canadian and international filmmakers. The festival's mission is to screen and promote the use of film and video across Canada and internationally as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion, and appropriate action on the environmental, ecological and social health of the planet. Recognizing that the 'environment' is contested terrain, both as a biophysical entity and as a philosophical frame, Planet in Focus invites submissions in all genres that critically examine the concept of 'environment' and challenge current human/nature relations. Festival Highlights: Green Market & Industry Centre: Filmmakers, producers, sales agents, buyers and programmers enjoy exclusive access to our busi...
Milch on Milch: Deadwood creator talks about the Iraq war, George Bush and
2008-01-14 13:41:00 Meet the real David Milch, creator and writer for the popular HBO television series Deadwood: former addict, on-again off-again bouts of insanity, former criminal, outspoken critic of American media and mainstream television drama—and one of the most successful television writers of his generation. His credits also include Hillstreet Blues, NYPD Blue and John from Cinncinati. In this rather remarkable talk given at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Milch describes the historical research underpinning the Deadwood series (?90% historical accuracy?), his critique of the avaricious capitalism that emerged in the formative years of the American Republic, his relationship with truth in the construction of fiction, why he refuses to produce or write contemporary drama (because of what he calls the ?Iraq war mini-series?), his dire concern with how television is changing how Americans think and perceive reality, why his series tend to undervalorize women and whether or ... More About: Bush , Iraq War , George Bush , George W
Milch on Milch: Deadwood creator talks about the Iraq war, George Bush and
2008-01-14 13:41:00 Meet the real David Milch, creator and writer for the popular HBO television series Deadwood: former addict, on-again off-again bouts of insanity, former criminal, outspoken critic of American media and mainstream television drama—and one of the most successful television writers of his generation. His credits also include Hillstreet Blues, NYPD Blue and John from Cinncinati. In this rather remarkable talk given at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Milch describes the historical research underpinning the Deadwood series (???90% historical accuracy???), his critique of the avaricious capitalism that emerged in the formative years of the American Republic, his relationship with truth in the construction of fiction, why he refuses to produce or write contemporary drama (because of what he calls the ???Iraq war mini-series???), his dire concern with how television is changing how Americans think and perceive reality, why his series tend to undervalorize women and whe... More About: Bush , Iraq War , George Bush , George W
Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim takes Palestinian citizenship
2008-01-14 05:40:00 The world-renowned Israel i conductor Daniel Barenboim is now a Palestinian citizen. He accepted honourary citizenship in what he hopes will serve as a public gesture of peace. If only more classical celebrities had such chutzpah. From the CBC: "I hope that my new status will be an example of Israeli -Palestinian co-existence," said Barenboim, who received a passport at the end of a Saturday night concert he played in Ramallah in the West Bank. Ramallah is a town that Barenboim has visited often, promoting contact between young Arab and Israeli musicians. "I believe that the destinies of ??? the Israeli people and the Palestinian people are inextricably linked," said Barenboim, who is also music director at the La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy. Previously on Art Threat: Zionists censor Rachel Corrie play in Toronto. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
Israeli conductor Daniel Barenboim takes Palestinian citizenship
2008-01-14 05:40:00 The world-renowned Israel i conductor Daniel Barenboim is now a Palestinian citizen. He accepted honourary citizenship in what he hopes will serve as a public gesture of peace. If only more classical celebrities had such chutzpah. From the CBC: "I hope that my new status will be an example of Israeli -Palestinian co-existence," said Barenboim, who received a passport at the end of a Saturday night concert he played in Ramallah in the West Bank. Ramallah is a town that Barenboim has visited often, promoting contact between young Arab and Israeli musicians. "I believe that the destinies of ? the Israeli people and the Palestinian people are inextricably linked," said Barenboim, who is also music director at the La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy. Previously on Art Threat: Zionists censor Rachel Corrie play in Toronto. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons.)
Willie and Joe anthology illustrates soldiers' view of WWII
2008-01-12 18:48:00 Fantagraphics is releasing Willie & Joe: the WWII years, an anthology of Bill Mauldin's cartoon infantrymen who became synonymous with the American GI. This collection of 600+ cartoons is both a record of this Pulitzer prize-winning artist and a first hand chronicle of the war from the soldiers' perspective. From the Fantagraphics site: Bill Mauldin knew war because he was in it. He had created his characters, Willie and Joe, at age 18, before Pearl Harbor, while training with the 45th Infantry Division and cartooning part-time for the camp newspaper. His brilliant send-ups of officers were pure infantry, and the men loved it... With their heavy brush lines, detailed battlescapes, and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect, Mauldin's cartoons and captions recreated on paper the fully realized world of the American combat soldier. Their dark, often insubordinate humor sparked controversy among army brass and incensed General George S. Patton, Jr. Also recently released from... More About: View , Soldiers , Anthology , Holo
Willie and Joe anthology illustrates soldiers' view of WWII
2008-01-12 18:48:00 Fantagraphics is releasing Willie & Joe: the WWII years, an anthology of Bill Mauldin's cartoon infantrymen who became synonymous with the American GI. This collection of 600+ cartoons is both a record of this Pulitzer prize-winning artist and a first hand chronicle of the war from the soldiers' perspective. From the Fantagraphics site: Bill Mauldin knew war because he was in it. He had created his characters, Willie and Joe, at age 18, before Pearl Harbor, while training with the 45th Infantry Division and cartooning part-time for the camp newspaper. His brilliant send-ups of officers were pure infantry, and the men loved it... With their heavy brush lines, detailed battlescapes, and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect, Mauldin's cartoons and captions recreated on paper the fully realized world of the American combat soldier. Their dark, often insubordinate humor sparked controversy among army brass and incensed General George S. Patton, Jr. Also recently released from... More About: View , Soldiers , Anthology , Holo
Call for submissions: video stories to change the world
2008-01-12 17:32:00 Video Party in Montreal wants your video art. This spring, Video Party, in association with Art Matters 2008, will be presenting a selection of short videos about creating a world that we want to live in. Stories can be dreams about a better world, about someone making a difference in your community, about an organization affecting positive change. Anything at all. Selected films will screen before a sizable audience at an official Art Matters party. Submissions are open to all. If you've got a video that fits this theme, check out their submissions page. Submissions deadline February 7th. More About: Video , World , Canada , Change
Call for submissions: Video Stories to Change the World
2008-01-12 17:32:00 Video Party in Montreal wants your video art. This spring, Video Party, in association with Art Matters 2008, will be presenting a selection of short videos about creating a world that we want to live in. Stories can be dreams about a better world, about someone making a difference in your community, about an organization affecting positive change. Anything at all. Selected films will screen before a sizable audience at an official Art Matters party. Submissions are open to all. If you've got a video that fits this theme, check out their submissions page. Submissions deadline February 7th. More About: Video , World , Canada , Change
Breakfast links: Beirut art bust and burnt out cars in Britain
2008-01-10 14:47:00 Breakfast links—of the meatless variety—for Thursday. Despite the online experiment, the CD version of Radiohead's In Rainbows tops US & UK charts. Beirut's contemporary art scene struggled through 2007. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert return to the tube sans writers—and censors. Burnt out car from Iraq competes for space on Trafalgar Square. Previously on Art Threat: Radiohead offers up new album as pay-what-you-can to fans Radiohead on how music is killing the planet Image by Heretakis. More About: Cars , Lebanon , Britain , Breakfast , Links
Breakfast links: Beirut art bust and burnt out cars in Britain
2008-01-10 14:47:00 Breakfast links—of the meatless variety—for Thursday. Despite the online experiment, the CD version of Radiohead's In Rainbows tops US & UK charts. Beirut's contemporary art scene struggled through 2007. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert return to the tube sans writers—and censors. Burnt out car from Iraq competes for space on Trafalgar Square. Previously on Art Threat: Radiohead offers up new album as pay-what-you-can to fans Radiohead on how music is killing the planet Photo by Heretakis. More About: Cars , Lebanon , Britain , Breakfast , Links
Adbusters' Day(s) In Court
2008-01-10 04:53:00 On Tuesday, the Canadian-based international culture-jamming magazine Adbusters appeared in the British Columbia Supreme Court to preserve their claim against major broadcasters in Canada. For more than 10 years, Adbusters has been denied the right to purchase advertising time from Canada's major broadcasters. The ads offer clever and artistically produced messages challenging status quo thinking on consumption, economics, and culture. CanWest Global Television has applied to have the claim thrown out. What is at stake is whether or not the airwaves are public property. Should broadcasters be allowed to pick and choose who can buy airtime from them based on political preferences? Or is there a public good that media serves within the Canadian democracy that should outweigh a broadcaster's right to program whatever it wants? Despite the posturing of major broadcasters, the Canadian broadcasting system is not a free-for-all. All participants in the Canadian broadcast syst...
Adbusters' Day(s) In Court
2008-01-10 04:53:00 On Tuesday, the Canadian-based international culture-jamming magazine Adbusters appeared in the British Columbia Supreme Court to preserve their claim against major broadcasters in Canada. For more than 10 years, Adbusters has been denied the right to purchase advertising time from Canada's major broadcasters. The ads offer clever and artistically produced messages challenging status quo thinking on consumption, economics, and culture. CanWest Global Television has applied to have the claim thrown out. What is at stake is whether or not the airwaves are public property. Should broadcasters be allowed to pick and choose who can buy airtime from them based on political preferences? Or is there a public good that media serves within the Canadian democracy that should outweigh a broadcaster's right to program whatever it wants? Despite the posturing of major broadcasters, the Canadian broadcasting system is not a free-for-all. All participants in the Canadian broadcast syst...
Ludicrous British copyright law to allow ripping CDs
2008-01-10 03:05:00 Ludicrous: causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision. As a wee lad, I was a Spaceballs fanatic. And much like Spaceball One's top speed, the film was ludicrous. That one word, which is ludicrous in itself, has forever meant one and only one thing to me: Spaceballs. That was, of course, until I learned that ripping a CD onto your computer in the UK was illegal. British lawmakers had officially surpassed Rick Moranis and friends on the ludicrous scale. If all goes as planned, however, British law will soon be downgraded to ridiculous as parliament is poised to give consumers several new rights, including a right to parody and to format-shift copyrighted material. Not surprisingly, the proposed changes are as clear as mud, raising a number of questions—such as those asked yesterday by Ars Technica. Perhaps the murkiest issue would be whether the law would be retroactive. It's possible that music published before 2008 might only be listened to le... More About: Britain , Copyright , Allo
Ludicrous British copyright law to allow ripping CDs
2008-01-10 03:05:00 Ludicrous: causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving derision. As a wee lad, I was a Spaceballs fanatic. And much like Spaceball One's top speed, the film was ludicrous. That one word, which is ludicrous in itself, has forever meant one and only one thing to me: Spaceballs. That was, of course, until I learned that ripping a CD onto your computer in the UK was illegal. British lawmakers had officially surpassed Rick Moranis and friends on the ludicrous scale. If all goes as planned, however, British law will soon be downgraded to ridiculous as parliament is poised to give consumers several new rights, including a right to parody and to format-shift copyrighted material. Not surprisingly, the proposed changes are as clear as mud, raising a number of questions—such as those asked yesterday by Ars Technica. Perhaps the murkiest issue would be whether the law would be retroactive. It's possible that music published before 2008 might only be listened to le... More About: Britain , Copyright , Allo
The Rape of Europa: retelling the story of Hitler's art plunders
2008-01-08 15:27:00 A recently released documentary has been getting some positive reviews from shocked and impressed film critics despite the redundancy of its content. The Rape of Europa is not only a peculiarly-named two hour documentary, it is a film that has already been made, over fifteen years prior. Europa tells the story of the Nazi holocaust from the perspective of art instead of the millions of human victims. The story is of course fascinating ??? learning of Hitler and his party members??? obsession with works of art across the continent and the lengths people went to to protect said art is a story worth telling. The main problem I have with the film—other than it being too long and formulaic—is that the story was told, and with much more rigorous treatment, in an earlier documentary entitled The Architecture of Doom: The Nazi Philosophy of Beauty Through Violence. Peter Cohen???s 1991 pi??ce de r??sistance interrogates territory only surfacely considered by Europa. The newer... More About: Europe , Story , The Story
The Rape of Europa: retelling the story of Hitler's art plunders
2008-01-08 15:27:00 A recently released documentary has been getting some positive renews from shocked and impressed film critics despite the redundancy of its content. The Rape of Europa is not only a peculiarly-named two hour documentary, it is a film that has already been made, over fifteen years prior. Europa tells the story of the Nazi holocaust from the perspective of art instead of the millions of human victims. The story is of course fascinating ? learning of Hitler and his party members? obsession with works of art across the continent and the lengths people went to to protect said art is a story worth telling. The main problem I have with the film—other than it being too long and formulaic—is that the story was told, and with much more rigorous treatment, in an earlier documentary entitled The Architecture of Doom: The Nazi Philosophy of Beauty Through Violence. Peter Cohen?s 1991 pièce de résistance interrogates territory only surfacely considered by Europa. The newer document... More About: Europe , Story , The Story
Artists Against the War
2008-01-07 16:48:00 The Society of Illustrators presents this Artists Against the war slideshow. (Shown above: John Cuneo's, "Tip of the Hat"). Also of interest: John Cuneo via Jillian Tamaki
Artists Against the War
More articles from this author:2008-01-07 16:48:00 The Society of Illustrators presents this Artists Against the war slideshow. (Shown above: John Cuneo's, "Tip of the Hat"). Also of interest: John Cuneo via Jillian Tamaki 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
|
 |
|
 |
