Since the end of the 1960s, the question of the political significance of literary and artistic work has continued to arise, questioning its capacity to reconcile political and aesthetic issues. In this debate which continues to grow as the definition of the work becomes more complex, going through the example and the particular becomes inevitable and allows us to understand how certain works achieve a balance, if not a conciliation. , effective.
Can the artist give his work both aesthetic and political qualities? ? If we recognize a political content, can the work really influence the socio-political realities of our world? ? Raised by Sartre in the middle of XXe century, the question of the political commitment of the work remains very current. Some recent exhibitions organized at the Jeu de Paume (Ai Weiwei: InterlacingFebruary 21 – April 29, 2012) and at the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris (Resisting the Present. Mexico 2000-2012March 9 – July 8, 2012), new publications (Michel Vinaver, Albert Camus, Get involved – correspondence 1945 – 1957L’Arche, 2012), as well as the attention paid to the important artistic production which accompanied the Arab Spring, continue to fuel a debate which proves that reflection on arts policy cannot be reduced to the alternative between aesthetics and activism.
Artists, historians and critics question the possible reconciliation of these two dimensions and the concrete modalities of engagement through all artistic creation. Today, the question of commitment has therefore emancipated itself from the figure of the artist to focus on the formal qualities of the work, but also its context. Because since the end of the 1970s, postmodern thought has enriched the debate by paying new attention to the conditions of production and reception of works. At the same time, the advent of artistic practices known as in situ (Land Art, Graffiti, Street Art) placed the work in the public space and fueled reflection on the politics of the work. The question of commitment can therefore no longer ignore the techniques and mediums used, the nature of the places of production and exhibition of the work, nor its intellectual and emotional impact on the public.
This file takes up and illustrates this debate using specific examples, taken from contemporary literature, art and theater, from an international perspective.
List of tests and interviews:
– Cécile Boëx, “ An emergency cinema », interview with the Abounaddara collective, September 25, 2012.
– Vanina Géré, “ Beauty: political weapon », October 2, 2012.
– Claire Luna, “ 2000-2012: Mexican art in resistance », essay on the exhibition « Resisting the Present, Mexico 2000-2012 » (Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris, March 9 – June 8, 2012), October 9, 2012
– Sébastian Veg, “ Spotlight on the margins, interview with Sébastian Veg on committed Chinese writers », October 12, 2012.
– Simon Chemama, “ Get involved ? Vinaver facing Camus in 1950 », November 9, 2012.
– Florian Mahot Boudias, “ Adel Abdessemed, violence at work », December 24, 2012.