Art and Solidarity Reader—Radical Actions, Politics and Friendships

Solidarity has re-entered the global zeitgeist with resounding force in the last decade, driving new thinking to counter the systemic failures and abuses of our society. The Art and Solidarity Reader considers the agency artists, collectives, and art institutions have in building the radical visions of care and solidarity needed to transform the conditions of our collective existence.

Presenting new and historical material, the Reader narrates various micro-histories of artistic solidarity globally from the 1970s to today, in relation to the multiple crises of migration, neo-colonialism, rising radicalization, inter-religious conflicts, class divisions, new technology, heteronormativity, and the environment. It emphasizes the centrality of artist-led empathy and personal connectivity in building networks of solidarity and concrete actions that generate profound transformation in society.

Whilst addressing the relevance of the Non-Aligned Movement of the Cold War in generating new forms of artistic solidarity globally, the Reader points towards its successors and, significantly, centres Indigenous perspectives rarely considered when discussing the history of artistic solidarity.

Editors: Katya García-Antón, OCA Norway
Contributors: Reem Abbas, Toufoul Abou-Hodeib, Noor Abuarafeh, Yasnaya Elena Aguilar Gil, Ali Hussein Al-Adawy, Salvador Allende, Defne Ayas, Wendy Carrig, Heather Dewey-Hagborg, Ntone Edjabe, Katya García-Antón, Soledad García, Natasha Ginwala, Irene Guzmán, Gavin Jantjes, Sholi Kanuga, Geeta Kapur, Lara Khaldi, Chelsea Manning, Olivier Marboeuf, Naeem Mohaiemen, Mário Pedrosa, Ram Rahman, Laura Raicovich, Aban Raza, ruangrupa, Devika Singh, Eszter Szakács, Alice Walker, and many others