Europe has seen a great deal of change during the last decade. The age of prosperity brought on due to a strong economy and greater equality among its population is now in decline. The recession which hit the US in 2008 has sent ripples throughout the world and more recently, Greece, Ireland, and Portugal have asked the European Nation for a bailout and it is expected for Spain and Italy to be forced to do the same. Such loss of autonomy within these countries' economic policies has had a hard impact on many people. Earlier this year, we witnessed the rioting in Greece, where the mass hysteria facilitated for armed thieves to take ancient artifacts from the birthplace of the Olympics.
With such tumultuous times being faced by the majority of western European nations, it is expected to see great change within their laid-back culture, their social class distinctions, and their overall attitude towards their governments' loss of power to the countries bailing them out. This fear has spread to art markets, currently setting new records within auction houses like Christie's and Sotheby's. It is a mixed set of analysis from experts, some argue that investors are trying to exchange their money for tangible assets, while others explain that new investors from mainland China are beginning to get deeply involved in what used to be a solely Western world luxury. Regardless of the movement of prestigious art pieces, the effects felt within Europe are present today.
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| Pablo Picasso Nude, Green Leaves and Bust, 1932 |
The UK has always been known for its pompous and arrogant mentality. But also for its fervent liberalism, sometimes amounting to anarchism. Banksy, a street artist, famous for his witty humor incorporated into political and social themes, ranging in themes from anti-war, anti-consumerism, and existentialism. His work ranges from outdoor pieces consisting of graffiti and building physical props to accentuate the iconography needed to put his message across. Meanwhile his other well-known pieces involve an array of mixed media to create interior installation spaces, clandestine addition of his pieces into museums, and other radical activities of the sort.
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| Banksy 3 Sculptures, 2009 |
A humorous project called "The Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill" was conceptualized to set up a store to display the dark side of society's relationship with animals, dealing with the human conditions of greed, consumerism, and hypocrisy. As you tour the store, the viewer is presented with themes from testing make-up to consumption.
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| Banksy Nuggets- Village Pet Store and Charcoal Grill, 2008 |
Another exemplary artist is the Greek artist, Anna Tsouloufi-Lagiou, who specializes in sculpture and photography. Her work is in research around identity and subjectivity, while she thinks and feels of the human as a sculpture in a sociopolitical environment. She recently opened an exhibition in the National Museum of Contemporary Art in Athens, Greece, called Forms of Life: Survival Kit in the Metropolis. It deals with questions regarding if we benefit from the existence of different people with specific roles in society, politics, and philosophical manners. She looks to initiate discussions of resistance and survival during this time of global crisis. On the museum website she describes her mode of work through these words:
"The current work is the fruit, or, at least, the partial fruit of an artistic research, presented through a series of photos, discussions documented on videos, theory texts, poetic descriptions, and peculiar maps. I borrow tools and take up practices from the fields of social anthropology, philosophy, and political science, so as to act as a sculptor."
nd the commons, sociopolitical issues and urban space configuration, with the Network Nomadic Architecture-Athens, PAC Multimedia- Skopje-Republic of Macedonia, Verpeilt Brigade – Athens, Filopappou Art Group – Athens. She has exhibited and participated in shows and workshops in Greece, Germany, Italy, Bosna-Herzegovina, Republic of Macedonia, Albania, and US-Chicago. She works in research around identity and subjectivity, while she thinks and feels
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More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
She works in research around identity and subjectivity, while she thinks and feels of the human as a sculpture in a sociopolitical environment.
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
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| Photo still of ongoing project called Forms of Life: Survival Kit in the Metropolis by Anna Tsouloufi-Lagiou |
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
She works in research around identity and subjectivity, while she thinks and feels of the human as a sculpture in a sociopolitical environment.
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=54605&b=political[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
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