Page 23 - Studio International - June 1974

among those concerned as to what would unionization of the Brannons London factory. perceptions of, say, Marxist-Leninist theories,
constitute a political work of art. Atkinson's April exhibition, also at the ICA, in relation to (in this instance) being an artist, in
We can only look at the events of these two Work, Wages and Prices', tackled a much terms of other artists. Three groups: Red
months-and try to deduce what each group or more rhetorical issue. The exhibition used the Ladder Theatre, Artists' Liberation Front and
artist considered to be the political content of means of video playback, open discussions Berwick Street Co-op, were all able to
the work. Clearly, the Art Workers' Committee and walls of cross-related information on work contribute accounts of practical situations
of the Artists' Union consider that the social situations, wage packets and stock exchange where political theories about art had been
realist 3os-style paintings of cloth-capped, printouts to make its point. The result was a tried. The recounting of these experiences,
strong-featured workers which they exhibited powerful statement about the disparity of however, were in no way a substitute for the
communicate a political message. This message earnings in Britain and the profits of the few. potential value of the Conference. This should
is evidently intended to be one of solidarity with Made in the context of the ICA, it had the have been a general free discussion allowing
the workers. The context for the exhibition at strategic and overriding value of making a for the testing of political theories against
Congress House, the TUC Headquarters, was powerful statement about the role of art to the individual and personal practices. The whole
intended to enhance this statement. The price rest of the art world. I am still unclear which structure of the Conference prevented
of each work was modest and the inclusion of statement Atkinson wished to emphasize. this sort of discussion taking place. In the
work by the Ashington Group miners, who Perhaps this was a case of the political content context of the RCA therefore, John Dugger and
were trained in WEA evening classes, created of the art being contained by the politics of the David Medalla's use of texts from Lenin and
solidarity between the professional artists and context. Mao, against which to test the theory of their
the spare time painters. The paintings, although The Royal College of Art Anglo-Dutch own practice, was extremely valuable in
very competent, were dull. The content and the Conference was entirely academic in its academic terms. But realistically the practice
style stimulated no new ideas and even when approach to both the theory and practice of art has seldom violated the bourgeois barriers of
the gallery system and the art world. The
political content has been reduced to art
politics.
The discussion which took place on seven
evenings at 48 Earlham Street, during the
Lucy Lippard show, by contrast'with the RCA
Conference-had strategic effect. The
exhibition itself had been refused an RCA
Gallery showing and was finally mounted by an
ad hoc group of artists and art historians in
Earlham Street, with the help of the
administrators of Garage Ltd. The work itself;
as Lucy Lippard stated in her introduction to
the show, was selected from too wide a
background to carry a uniformly feminist
message. The nature of the work itself offered
no radical alternative to the already accepted
`conceptual' format. The politics which overlaid
its exhibition in this country offered a
strategic demonstration of independence of the
disapproval expressed by art critics and the art
world for an all women's show, as well as the
use of the occasion as a platform for the
Conrad Atkinson at the ICA. and politics. It was organized by a group of discussion of women in art in this country.
Photo: Chris Davis
students who have been meeting for some three Significantly both aspects were studiously
years under the title 'Alternative Directions' ignored by male and female critics. The
the subject was narrative, such as Dan Jones's and who are a doctrinaire Marxist-Leninist meetings at Earlham Street began with a
jolly march paintings, they provoked no dominated group. My own opinions as to the critics' panel, which refused to look at the work
questions. In other words, these artists, like the success of the Conference within the terms of in its political context. The critics illustrated
realist painters in the Soviet Union, were Politics in Art must be limited to the experiences their lack of concern for anything outside the
accepting the role of artist as illustrator of of the two evenings I was able to attend. narrow parameters of the criticism of `fine art'
generalized socialist themes. In analysis, the art Within the boundaries of the Conference the as it has already been defined within our
illustrates a political theme but there are no entire programme of discussions in the theory socio-economic system. (The RCA meetings
politics in the art. and practice of Art and Politics was academic. invited no spokesman from the establishment
By contrast, at the ICA, Conrad Atkinson, an There were no directions within the terms art networks, and consequently the 'opposition'
artist who is also an active member of the towards active goals; no plans to be made; was never clearly demonstrated.)
Labour Party, states that he aims 'to relate to letters to be written; protests to be organized; or The Earlham Street meetings succeeded in
and directly effect real situations'. His method is further meetings to be held. The only offering participants a clear goal in learning the
to take a set of circumstances relating to the non-academic and therefore actively political references for a more analytical way of looking
social and economic structures, and by goal the Conference might have assumed, was to at women artists in terms of art history,
retelling them with a cross reference to cause politicize and inform the participants. Yet while education, art criticism as well as the gallery
and effect, clarifty the need for political action. undeniably some definitions and new system. These discussions succeeded in being
His first exhibition at the ICA (1972) `Strike at perceptions did emerge from the three days in politically effective in terms of the women's
Brannons', looked at a factory in Cleator Moor the College, its most useful function must have movement; ie in making those involved aware
where the AEU were stopping strike pay after a been to emphasize the importance within any of the position of women artists and at the
year. The exhibition resulted in the political standpoint to learn to define individual time they reinforced the statement made b