Artivism: An exploration

Artivism and socially engaged art practices have gained increased popularity in recent times as ways to address injustices, crises and social issues worldwide. Alongside their development, some questions regarding the implications within the traditional art world have arisen, in particular concerning the controversies potentially brought about by their institutionalisation and market incorporation. This research aims to gather insights into these new trends by unfolding through an initial focus on the poetics of four contemporary artivists. Furthermore, while attempting to demonstrate how the appropriation of such approaches by private organisations can be detrimental to the nature of the movement itself, I will provide some examples of practices that might instead have a positive impact on communities.