Most people have seen some form of art in their lives. If you’re reading this, the photo in our website banner is considered to be art.
Same thing with politics: most people have interacted with some sort of political belief in their lives and hold some political opinion, whether they know it or not. If you’ve been in a political atmosphere, even on a surface level, you’ve most likely heard people say they should keep politics out of art, or that “not every art piece is political; what if they just wanted to draw this for fun?”
This stance comes from a misconception of politics a lot of the time, where people think standard political messages have to be very visible in art, like transgender rights, Black Lives Matter, ACAB, anti-immigration, etc. People think there’s a distinction between political art pieces that the artist had an explicit intention of making.
Many pick and choose what they like to think about, and a political meaning to an art piece adds an extra layer to it that they may be uncomfortable with.
I’m here to repeat what many have already said: All art is political, whether you like it or not. Someone can derive meaning from any art piece even if the artist never intended for it to come off that way.
Two people kissing? You could interpret the act of two people kissing as a pro-freedom display of affection; additionally, depending on the genders of the individuals involved, it could also be considered a pro-LGBTQ+ statement.
Graffiti almost always has some sort of anti-authority meaning behind it since in most places it’s illegal; the artist is going against the authority known as the government to convey a message, whether that be through a picture or graffiti text.
Art or a photo of someone speaking to a large group of people, pro-leadership or anti-leadership, depending on if they’re presented in a positive or negative light.
A picture of someone eating could suggest class inequality, depending on the context and the people involved; for instance, if multiple individuals are present, it might indicate solidarity among them.
With all of these examples, my main point is that regardless of what you say or do, there will always be some political meaning behind an art piece; it may be as straightforward as pro-freedom, but it will be present. Even if you’re the artist, you can choose to ignore these meanings, but they exist.
