Tamara Moyzes

Artistic Activism

27.10.2022 / 4pm

Artistic Activism, and Artistic Freedom and its Limitations.

Art + activism = artivism

         This presentation is trying to understand the complex relationship established between art and freedom in contemporary societies, in the context of art’s aspiration towards absolute and freedom’s impossibility to be absolute. The starting point is the factual observation that our society tends to consider artistic creation as a special form of human activity and artistic freedom as deserving a special treatment, more protective and/or more tolerant.

However, when tested through law’s filter, art no longer enjoys such a privileged regime. States may encourage or restrict artistic freedom.

Tamara Moyzes (1975 *) is a Slovak artist, curator, and documentary filmmaker living and working in Prague. She uses art as a tool to activate society and to oppose neoconservative tendencies, criticizing the culture of political representation. She uses new media, most often video art and performance, in order to deal with topics such as xenophobia, racism, nationalism, queer and minority issues, and the conflict in the Middle East. Moyzes advocates feminism. She founded the art group "Romane Kale Panthera / Roma Black Panthers" which organizes events on the border of political art and activism.

Moyzes founded the "Artivist Lab" gallery as part of her Ph.D. studies in the Academy of Fine Arts Prague. The central idea of ​​the gallery is to connect interdisciplinary people who respond to social and political topics. Literally, it is a laboratory where scholars, journalists, artists, and activists are gathering together in each exhibition.