war.art

Tina La Porta

A year ago, I guest edited a section titled, ‘War and Peace: Artists’ Voices’ (vol. 8 no. 6-8; June 2003. pp. 22-23). At that time 23 artists and curators discussed the ways in which recent wartime events have had an impact on their artwork. One year later, I have brought together a group of artists and writers to show how our responses have translated into developed works. war.art is a section of artists pages, some of which were made specifically for this issue, curated as an exhibition distributed through the medium of the magazine.

In today’s pre-election climate, developing this section of politically charged artwork has been, for me, a form of activism. When Bush I was President my activism was in the form of photographing at demonstrations while at the same time collectives like WAC and WHAM! took to the streets challenging the Bush Administration on abortion rights. Today, activism can be electronic, distributed and global. Old groups dissolve while new alliances emerge.

In our current social and political culture, what an artist has to offer is a unique, critical and alternative eye gazing back at the world while peeling away the layers of camouflage that corporate media and corrupt governments impose upon us all. The use of spin, embeded reporters and recycled images underscores the necessity for independent media outlets and distribution platforms committed to uncensored voices expressing dissent. - Tina La Porta

http://www.nyartsmagazine.com/war_art/war_art.html