The Art of Activism: with Banksy and Ai Weiwei

“An artist must also be an activist aesthetically, morally, or philosophically.” - Ai Weiwei

Should art be used as a spring-board for political discussions? Are there certain themes that are off-limit to artists? In this session we will focus on contemporary artists that have actively chosen to engage with politics, sometimes at risk of their lives.  

From Ai Weiwei's colossal political statements to Banksy's provocative painting of Parliament overrun with chimpanzees, it seems that no subject is out of bounds. Why then did crowds of people appear at the Whitney Biennial demanding the removal, and even the destruction, of a painting by Dana Schutz?