Maintain the Rage…art and politics

From Daumier’s political cartoons to Picasso’s Guernica and more recently Pussy Riot’s performances artists have always been at the forefront of politics acting as social agitators, commentators and documenters.

In Maintain the Rage…art and politics red gallery brings together eleven artists who continue this tradition. Utilising a range of mediums to explore issues of colonialism, globalisation, immigration and climate change these artists use visual language as a means to not only express their own reactions to contemporary issues but also as a way to untangle some of the complexities of these themes, posing questions and sparking debate.

Australia’s current political climate has ignited a wave of public debate as artists and activists alike respond to changes to immigration and environmental policies. For Maintain the Rage…art and politics Melanie Lazarow places herself in the midst of this debate, actively documenting and participating in protest movements. Sam Davis, Martin James and Zdenka Karakas draw parallels between colonialism and current immigration issues, while Michael Rigg responds to issues of displacement and alienation caused by war.

Barbra Bolt continues her investigation into Robert Motherwell’s Elegies to a Spanish Republic to address the question of reconciliation in Australia while Uri Auerbach’s sculptural installations force us to consider capitalism and consumption and the wider effects that these have on our society.

Thalia Robertson’s gentle depiction of icebergs juxtaposed with Amaryll Perlez’s documentation of life in the arctic draw our attention to rapid environmental changes taking place as a consequence of climate change. Anne Galbrith and Elizabeth Faul examine the effect of industry on our landscapes and the resulting endangerment of Australian flora and fauna.

“Art should have political, spiritual, and surprising elements. It should try to find new language of communicating in order to give awareness to the public.”
- Marina Abramovic