Artists and politics

The conversation about artists and politics has been re-ignited by the boycott of Sydney Art Biennale by artists who felt compromised by the contract that sponsor Transfield Holdings holds providing detention center facilities in Papua New Guinea's Manus Island (where asylum seekers are sent, then held with no hope of having their asylum claims heard) and by subsequent comments by Australian Government politicians and others who seem to want artists to be seen and not heard.

Politicians discussing global warming. Sculpture by Isaac Cordal.

But politics is life and art is about life so it is no wonder that art and politics are intertwined. Isaac Cordal comments on life/politics in a thoughtful manner. The photo shows a clever sculpture by Isaac Cordal exhibited in Berlin.  Waiting for climate change is another of his works, shown in Nantes last year.

(More comment about Transfield.)

The Sydney Biennale is now open and I think it is a 'must visit' year.

Manus Island

Church sign in nearby Gosford.
Not cowered by a belligerent government.

What do you do when your government becomes inhumane, inhuman? The Australian Government is printing comic books to warn people what is going to happen to them if they dare seek refuge here. They'll be sent to countries where they are at the mercy of marauding crowds of thugs.

People always ask whether the Germans knew about Nazi atrocities during the war and if they did, why they did nothing about it. In Australia we still have the right to express our opinions without being thrown into the camps ourselves and yet we are cowered into silence while our government peddles lies, cheered on by our own marauding thugs. History repeats.

Addendum: after the latest atrocity not everyone is silent. Past prime Minister Malcolm Frazer  has added his voice. (Could we please have him back?)