What is Art? And Why Is It Dangerous?
Art is an explosion.
-Deidara
(Masashi Kishimoto in the Manga Naruto)
In extreme situations, it is often easier to define the boundaries of something. For example, when talking about food. Is a frog food? Certain religions say no, some people may find it disgusting, but others may actually enjoy eating fried frog as a snack with a bottle of beer. Is raw fish food? Some people may be disgusted by it, but Koreans or Japanese might not agree with that. These differences in opinion are natural because these situations are not yet at the extreme end of the spectrum of what can and cannot be eaten. But if we talk about things like eating humans or feces, perhaps we wouldn't have any problem.
In 2019, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan displayed a work of art titled “Comedian”. Interestingly, “Comedian” was a banana that he attached to a wall using gray duct tape. Is that art? Regardless of our individual subjectivity, this piece sparked an endless discussion about the boundaries of what defines a work of art. (Fun fact: In 2024, someone bought the rights to use this artwork for 6.2 million dollars and ate it ;), and of course, it was not the same banana from 2019).
There is another interesting story about a work of art titled “Girl with Balloon,” created by a street artist named Banksy. Banksy is a street artist whose identity is still a mystery. Banksy creates murals and commercial art. His works often contain moral, social messages, and criticism.
In 2019, one of Banksy’s works titled “Girl with the Balloon” was acquired by Sotheby’s (one of the famous art auction houses in London). This artwork was then sold for 1.4 million dollars.
But something interesting happened shortly after the gavel strike, marking the transfer of ownership of the piece. A hidden mechanism in the painting’s frame was activated and destroyed the artwork like a paper shredder. Banksy later confirmed that he had installed the mechanism a year before the auction and intended for the entire piece to be destroyed. However, due to various factors, only half of the painting was shredded.
For me, this artwork is a protest against the exploitation and absurdity of the price of a work of art. Just like in the case of the “Comedian”, how could a banana and duct tape be sold for billions, and the same situation happens with many other artworks? As a result of this stunt, the artwork was renamed “Love is in the Bin”. But does the story end here?
In 2021, “Love is in the Bin” was sold for a fantastic price of 25.4 million dollars, which of course is an irony of what the artwork sought to criticize and further proves the truthfulness of the criticism embedded in it.
Art and Its Ability to Communicate
The power of art lies in its ability to convey messages and move the audience. Because of this, it is not uncommon for artworks to also serve as vessel for moral messages or social criticism.
From important to trivial events, we can always find art performances. We can find poetry and songs being sung and recited at significant events such as the Kamisan protests. Recently, during the demonstrations demanding the impeachment of the South Korean president, protesters were singing popular songs like “Into the New World” by SNSD and “Crooked” by G-Dragon. Even in demonstrations demanding improvements in campus, performance, poems, and theatrical are often exhibited. Thus, I cannot understand why arts should be separated from social criticism and political issues. Furthermore, this could even make someone loses their right for education. (Perhaps the only acceptable form of art is karaoke and dancing at official government events.)
The separation of art from moral messages and social criticism is absurd. Recently, Mr. Yos Suprapto, a senior Indonesian painter, experienced a similar situation. His solo art exhibition, scheduled for January 19, 2024, was canceled due to a disagreement between Mr. Yos Suprapto, the artist, and Mr. Suwarno, the curator. (If you haven’t heard about this or are just learning about it, you might want to check out other news sources before continuing to read.)
In short, the artist felt that the ban on displaying two of his works was a ban on artistic expression, while the curator felt that these two works were not in line with the theme of the exhibition. Many people speculate (including myself, after seeing the paintings) that these two paintings were considered a harsh critique of the government. As a result, Mr. Yos took all of his artwork back to Yogyakarta, and the curator resigned from his position.
Regardless of the situation, for me, arts (though certainly not all of them) are powerful mediums to convey messages and spark discussions about reality. Many works of art force us to discuss important issues, slap us with the injustices of reality, and make us feel sad. But art is meant to stir emotions, and sometimes we are forced to feel uncomfortable. Although it is not pleasant to discuss these things, we must. (In the end, this cancellation has the opposite effect and becomes a discussion that actually might have proved the criticism that may have been intended in these works of art at the very first place).
