Printed Project 08: Artistic Freedom–Anxiety and Aspiration, Editor/Curator: Munira Mirza
The dilemmas and tensions of artistic autonomy have been a constant throughout the past two centuries. With the age of Modernity, the shackles of tradition and the ancien regime may have loosened but new pressures have come to exert themselves – the demands of an ever-growing public audience, the taste of the established academy, the buying power of the mercantile classes, and the political machinations of the state. Against all these forces, the artist has always tried to push back by drawing on a sense of obligation to something beyond – to his practice, to Beauty, to Truth, or even to nihilistic, post-modern nonsense.
Today, the artist luxuriates in a freedom unimagined by his predecessors. Yet, there are new responsibilities. Artists are accused of not being socially useful. Arts organisations are told they must cater to more disadvantaged groups. The commercial market is also overwhelming, fixing the channels through which artists practice and speak to the public.
Should we be concerned about the state of autonomy today or was it ever thus?
This issue of Printed Project brings together a range of contributors to think about artistic autonomy. They bring their past and present experiences to bear on the question of why we – not just artists, but society as a whole – need such freedom.
Launch Event
To mark the launch of Printed Project’s eighth edition, edited by cultural commentator Munira Mirza, Gasworks hosted a discussion event expanding upon the issue’s focus on ‘artistic freedom – anxiety and aspiration. Does Autonomy Really Matter Anymore? Panel Discussion And Printed Project Launch Event Wednesday 5 December, 6- 8.00pm at Gasworks 155 Vauxhall Street,London, SE11 5RH. www.gasworks.org.uk
Contributors
JJ Charlesworth, Pauline Hadaway, Paul O’Neill, Andrew Calcutt, Sonya Dyer, Padraic Moore, Cecilia Wee, Dolan Cummings, Emma Ridgway, Becky Shaw, Andrew Brighton, Josie Appleton.
Curator / Editor
Munira Mirza is a writer and researcher on issues relating to cultural policy, race and identity. She presented the BBC Radio 4 series, The Business of Race (2005) and Fighting Chance (2007) and edited a collection of essays called Culture Vultures: Is UK arts policy damaging the arts? (2006). She is currently researching her PhD at the University of Kent on the politics of local cultural policies.
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