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The art of authenticity

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  The Struggle for Authenticity in Art I want to speak today about authenticity . And about what we quietly give up to be accepted. We’re told that contemporary political art values autonomy . That artists are free. That inquiry sits at the centre of practice. But autonomy, in reality, is often something we *perform*— not something we’re allowed to exercise. Freedom is celebrated rhetorically, while legitimacy is granted only when work conforms to approved languages , approved theories , approved causes . Autonomy isn’t denied outright. It’s curated. This system doesn’t fail artists by accident. It functions mechanically. It rewards work that aligns with predetermined frameworks and filters out work that doesn’t speak the sanctioned dialect . Many voices are excluded not because they lack skill or meaning, but because they refuse to translate their experience into institutionally legible language. I’m not saying all excluded work is good. I am saying much of it is never heard. An...
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Fertility series

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Fertilty InheritanceintimacyDecentStillnessFalling and FailingStatus of Pursuit
Listening for AdvantageWhispersTime Passing ThroughKilling SelfMoth NightEmpire Building
Peacock SacrificeJudgmentPeacock DanceWar HeadAction ManRunning through Reflection
Prayers and AttackTaking Aim at DistanceScales and BalanceForging onLocked within BattleRepression Over and Over Again
Fertility series, a set on Flickr.
Oil paintings by John Bennett - jjfbbennett. Painted in the late 1980's. Influenced by Balinese, Javanese and Thai art and stories of external strategy and personal needs. jjfbbennett.com

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