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I think this video can easily help people understand what 'Art Activism' actual is.

The people, sounds, scenes in this video make me feel passionate.

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Human Rights Watch: Art + Activism Initiative

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"Artistic Activism is a dynamic practice combining the creative power of the arts to move us emotionally with the strategic planning of activism necessary to bring about social change."

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Artistic Activism is a dynamic practice combining the creative power of the arts to move us emotionally with the strategic planning of activism necessary to bring about social change.

Art and activism do different work in the world. Activism, as the name implies, is the activity of challenging and changing power relations. There are many ways of doing activism and being an activist, but the common element is an activity targeted toward a discernible end. Simply put, the goal of activism is action to create an Effect.

Art, on the other hand, tends not to have such a clear target. It's hard to say what art is for or against; its value often lies in providing us perspective and new ways to envision our world. Its effect is often subtle and hard to measure, and confusing or contradictory messages can be layered into the work. Good art always contains a surplus of meaning: something we can't quite describe or put our finger on, but moves us nonetheless. Its goal, if we can even use that word, is to stimulate a feeling, move us emotionally, or alter our perception. Art, equally simply stated, is an expression that generates Affect.

At first glance these aims seem at odds with one another. Activism moves the material world, while Art moves the heart, body and soul. In fact, however, they are complimentary. Social change doesn't just happen, it happens because people decide to make change. As any seasoned activist can tell you, people just don't decide to change their mind and act accordingly, they are personally moved to do so by emotionally powerful stimuli. We're moved by affective experiences to do physical actions that result in concrete effects: Affect leads to Effect. We might think of this as Affective Effect, or perhaps, Effective Affect. Or, combined in a new word, Æffect (pronounced Aye-fect).

Artistic Activism is a practice aimed at generating Æffect: emotionally resonant experiences that lead to measurable shifts in power.

The first rule of guerilla warfare is to know the terrain and use it to your advantage. Today, this doesn't mean studying maps of the mountains of Cuba or the jungles of Vietnam. Our modern political terrain is a highly mediated landscape of signs and symbols, story and spectacle. To operate successful on this cultural topography we need to observe, analyze and respond creatively. We need to be Artistic Activists.

We may like to think of politics as a purely rational business, where sensible people logically discuss and debate the issues at hand, come to a reasoned decision, and then judiciously act. Certainly this is how politics has been taught to us in our civics classes. But as recent developments in cognitive science suggest, humans don't think and behave this way: we make sense of our world through stories and symbols that frame the information we receive and then act accordingly. The principles governing civic action are more likely to be found in the worlds of popular culture and entertainment, and artistic expression and reception, than in textbooks of political science.

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LibGuides: Artistic Activism for Social Change: About

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Artistic Activism is a dynamic practice combining the creative power of the arts to move us emotionally with the strategic planning of activism necessary to bring about social change. Art and activism do different work in the world. Activism, as the name implies, is the activity of challenging and changing power relations.

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Talk more about example 'The Golden Wish' 

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Talk more about example 'The Golden Wish' 

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"The artwork made by Shawn Dler Qaradaki, is based on the infamous 'jewelry-law' adopted by the Danish Parliament in 2006."

It reflects an unfair comparison between the policies and the refugee problems.  Policies are given power to confiscate jewelry and valuables when asylum seekers enter the country to finance their own house or board.

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Perhaps the most influential artist of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso may be best known for pioneering Cubism and fracturing the two-dimensional picture plane in order to convey three-dimensional space. Inspired by African and Iberian art, he also contributed to the rise of Surrealism and Expressionism. Picasso's sizable oeuvre grew to include over 20,000 paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures,ceramics, theater sets, and costume designs. He painted his most famous work, Guernica (1937), in response to the Spanish Civil War; the totemic grisaille canvas remains a definitive work of anti-war art. At auction, a number of Picasso's paintings have sold for more than $100 million. The indefatigable artist has been the subject of exhibitions at the world's most prestigious institutions, from the Museum of Modern Art and Centre Pompidou to the Stedelijk Museum and Tate Modern.

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Shwan Dler Qaradaki | The Golden Wish (2019) | Artsy

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From Artists in Support of Human Rights Watch Benefit Auction, Shwan Dler Qaradaki, The Golden Wish (2019), 18 Letters "EVERYTHING WILL BE OK" in 320 g, 12 karat gold, 5 × 100 × 1 cm

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An auction to benefit Human Rights Watch

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An auction to benefit Human Rights Watch

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'Owl', ' Qeqertarsuaq', 'The Golden Wish' are the art in this auction.

"This auction brought the topic about how the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to the surface of deep inequalities in our societies. It also shone a light on our global connectedness and shared responsibility for one another."

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(New York) - A group of contemporary artists whose works grapple with the challenges of our time announced an auction today to benefit Human Rights Watch.

The auction, 20 21 Artists in Support of Human Rights Watchwas curated by WILLAS contemporary and will be hosted by the online platform Artsy. It features 41 works of photography, textile, sculpture, and other mediums that tell the story of the past through the eyes of 41 established and emerging artists. It will run online from March 4-18, 2021.

Art has the power to illuminate the world in novel and insightful ways," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. "These artists connect us to the world in compelling new ways by spotlighting inspiring human stories of survival, resilience and kindness."

Among the 41 artists donating works to the auction are James Nachtwey, Nick Brandt, Jeff Cowen, Helene Schmitz, Cooper & Gorfer, and Romina Ressia. Starting bids will range from USD$300 to $110,000. Artists will receive their full commission, which they can choose to donate back to Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch said that while the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to the surface deep inequalities in our societies, it has also shone a light on our global connectedness and shared responsibility for one another. The auction is intended to mark this moment by inviting renowned and established artists to nominate new and emerging artists to participate.

The Artsy auction is the second of what Human Rights Watch hopes will be many collaborations with artists around the world. The organization's growing Art & Activism initiative in 2020 featured a collaboration with world-renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei, who created face masks imprinted with his works of art. It was one of eBay's most successful art auctions in its history, eBay said.

"We expect this auction to be only the beginning of Human Rights Watch's effort to enlist art to give us a language to understand, and address, some of the world's greatest current challenges," Roth said.

For more information on the auction, please visit:
https://www.artsy.net/willas2021forhumanrightswatch

To learn more about Human Rights Watch's Art + Activism project, please visit:
https://www.hrw.org/artandactivism

This auction was made possible through special contributions by:

Alina Acari, Göteborg, Sweden
Siri Stolt-Nielsen, Norway

Benjamin Jaeger Art Advisory, Berlin, Germany
Ceval Omar, Oslo, Norway
CP Art Advisory ltd, London, UK
Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, USA
Joan Blackman, Miami, USA
Flowers Gallery, London, UK
Pauline Benthede and Johan Vikner, Fotografiska, Stockholm
WHATIFTHEWORLD, Cape Town, South Africa
Formuesforvaltning, Oslo, Norway
Michelle Loukidis, The Lens Collective, Johannesburg, SA
Ravenstijn Gallery, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Larsen Warner Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden
Nabiha Khan-Giordano, Weinberg/Newton Gallery, Chicago, USA Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway
Kirsti Svenning, Oslo Norway
Henrik Holm, Oslo Norway

ARTISTS:

Alexandria Eregbu
Anahid Ghorbani
Anja Niemi
Annie Johansson
Anton Corbijn
Arno Rafael Minkkinen
Axel Ahlsén
Bongiwe Phakathi
Carlos Betancourt
Christian Houge
Cooper & Gorfer
Farvash
Helene Schmitz
Jacob Felländer
Jacqueline Landvik
James Nachtwey
Jan C Schlegel
Jeff Cowen
Jeffrey James
Jon Henry
Jorge Mañes Rubio
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Kim Schwanhäußer
Kjell Torriset
Lene Marie Fossen
Mandy Barker
Margo Trushina
Matthias Olmeta
Mohau Modisakeng
Nadav Kander
Nick Brandt
Olaf Heine
Richard Mosse
Romina Ressia
Scarlett Hooft Graafland
Shwan Dler Qaradaki
Steinar Christensen
Steve Schapiro
Theophilus Donoghue
Tiina Itkonen
Vee Speers

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Artists Unite to Support Human Rights Watch

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A group of contemporary artists whose works grapple with the challenges of our time announced an auction today to benefit Human Rights Watch. The auction, 20 21 Artists in Support of Human Rights Watch was curated by WILLAS contemporary and will be hosted by the online platform Artsy.

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This artwork is made of gold purchased from refugees in Kurdistan. He uses only one color “Blue” to form a strong contrast with the golden yellow sentence “EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.”.

I think he perfectly uses only simple words on this giant canva to convey his messages, which would be more effective for people who are watching.

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Through art like painting, photography, installation to convey strong messages or ideals to the world.

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It’s an artwork about setting the animal free from harsh treatment, acknowledging Nature is not immortal.

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It illustrates an environmental issue about ice loss.

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Reference:

https://www.liberties.eu/en/stories/activism/44871

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Reference:

https://c4aa.org/2018/04/why-artistic-activism

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I don’t have too much experience with activism. Sometimes I see lots of products which contain some beliefs behind messages, and I would not recognise it as  ‘Activism’；I simply see it as product promotion. Learning from the research about activism, I realize people can communicate with the world through brand posters on social media and the goods in shops, conveying the underlying meanings, which is called brand activism.

It’s truly remarkable how much intensity people invest in their works or products to convey messages or raise awareness of global issues, striving to make the world become more peaceful and stable.

It's challenging to unite people who share the same beliefs, from initial planning to hosting events, and to appreciate the efforts artists put into their work.

The obsession with this ideal is undeniable and unwavering to me, even though they are not sure if the messages will be received to the world, their determination is respectable and would not be swayed whenever they face different kinds of challenges.