Art, Democracy & Development by S. Şerban Scrieciu –
The arts have a big role to play in democracy and development. Take for instance the role of art as a form of protest, a form of criticism to the address of perceived injustices. Art can give voice in a more subtle way or in a straightforward explosion to frustrations, anger, and suffering.
Think of cases from literature where writers have responded to or warned of the dangers of undemocratic rule and repressive policies of authoritarian regimes. Examples include the Ukrainian writer Mikhail Bulgakov or the English novelist and essayist George Orwell (both active in the first half of the twentieth century), who have undermined and ridiculed (Soviet-inspired) totalitarian practices.
More recent examples criticising state censorship and current social economic developments is the work of the contemporary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei covering sculpture, installations, photography and film, amongst others, and targeting modern China.
The arts have also offered powerful weaponry, especially through the use of satire, to put under the spotlight societal contradictions, and to shape popular culture and public political opinion. An illustrative case of contemporary African art is that of the painter Chéri Samba from the Democratic Republic of Congo. His colourful paintings mixed with satirical texts have quickly gained international popularity by commenting on pressing social problems, exposing dogmatic mentalities, and provoking people to think.
Graphic novels provide a form of “accessible” literature and a powerful means for informing public opinion and tearing apart prejudices. One needs only to recall the critical acclaim and success that the graphic novel Persepolis by the Iranian-born French author Marjane Satrapi (and its subsequent eponymous transposition under a film format) has had across country borders.
Film and photography as modern art-based media are increasingly effective in visualising and understanding the world we live in, as well as presenting future scenarios of societal development we may wish to embark upon. The recently published photography of Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre on The Ruins of Detroit provides a mesmerising alternative account of market economy developments, and the creative and destructive forces contained within industrial capitalism.
The arts are a must in the creation, development, and improvement of democratic societies, not least because it constitutes a powerful vehicle for the expression of individual and social freedom, of empowerment. Alternative ways of supporting arts in poorer countries would benefit the social psyche. This is not only for the sake of our individual human soul eager to devour art, but also for building the public imagination and the creative forces of the social body. Artists have a heightened sensibility of the realities surrounding us. Their work can be a powerful outlet for (re)constructive criticism and for better sensing the world we live in.
The arts can help rethink our societies, reimagine our future, and redesign our economies and developmental pathways. We, as voters and political animals, just need to engage with it more.
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S. Şerban Scrieciu is an experienced researcher, writer, reviewer, consultant, and lecturer working on green growth, climate change economics, and sustainable development topics. He works in academia moving between Vienna, London and Bucharest. Şerban is also interested in the links between arts and economics, and dedicates part of his spare time to photography. He is keen on both digital and film photography, with a weak spot for black and white film imagery, abandoned places, the built environment, and the visualisation of social economic development processes. For more on his research and publications, click here and for more on his photography portfolio click here.
This article appears in ART MUCH? UJ Arts & Culture’s internationally award-winning magazine, which forms part of the Advancement Strategic Communication Publications Suite. Download or view the full issue here.