Place, Position, Power, Politics

Place, Position, Power, Politics - Martha Rosler

From the book 'The Subversive Imagination - Artists, Society and Social Responsibility' Edited by Carol Becker

‘Unlike many other fields of specialised knowledge in advanced industrial societies, art’s institutional base is not stable, and art is not consistently useful to the aims of the state.’ (page 61)

• The practice of art is not loyal to one purpose. It expresses opinions and puts forward arguments that sometimes support the state but sometimes oppose them as a form of rebellion. 

‘Moral panics may take place in social practice (repression of people of colour, lesbians and gay men, Jews or Muslims, or even artists, for example) or in the symbolic realm (campaigns or witch hunts agains pornographers, blasphemers, and so on). Subcultures with their own publics are mostly insulated from the criticisms of the larger culture or the state. Artists care because of the monetary value attaching to their work, and the mainstream institutions that support them are forced to bray in protest as well when the right engineers a generalized withdrawal of state support.’ (page 62)

• I’m a bit confused about what this quote is getting at but I get the impression that people who apparently don’t fit in with the general culture of the state form subcultures, and as a collective they are less affected by the repression inflicted on them by the wider public. 
• The state may feel under threat by ‘moral panics’ and therefore give little or no support to the things relating to them. 
• I think I need to revisit this quote after reading some more.  

‘Alas, poor artists! They pour their life and blood into the furrows that others may reap the harvest.’ (page 64)

• This quite paints artists as giving people, working purely for the good of the world. It makes out like their discipline is almost selfless. Is it possible to have a selfless practice? 
• I sense sarcasm. 

‘After the work was installed, I was stung by a friend’s criticism for putting it in a Manhattan museum. I accepted the suggestion of a local activist with whom I’d worked on pollution issues, to send out a press release. It assuaged my conscience and brought in some local people. Coincidentally, the producer of a local NPR radio show saw the work and invited me on the show; I agreed, bringing the activist along. I felt a responsibility to the work and the community to obtain a wider venue no matter how ephemeral.’ (page 68)

• The artist here states that she ‘felt a responsibility’ to spread the word about her work. She mentions a responsibility to her work and the community, the latter would suggest a social responsibility but do artists also have a responsibility to what they produce? Would it be seen as wrong for them to not share what they had produced for it to reach its full potential and make maximum impact? 

Moral panic: an instance of public anxiety or alarm in response to a problem regarded as threatening the moral standards of society.