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. And ...
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Ancient Halls and Modern Visions
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Ancient Halls and Modern Visions
The Hypostall hall is filled with Roman classical statues gazing towards the entrance door. Inside, a luminous, futuristic imagination metaphorically represents a consumption-based megacity. The image concerns leadership and a collective vision of the past, present, and future.
The classical hall evokes the grandeur of ancient Rome, reminding us of its technological achievements depicted through the beauty of humanity. How would the Romans have represented our technological reality? The statues, representing leaders, all focused on a similar goal, raising references towards obedience and sacrifice over personal cost. We want to believe they were genuinely led towards a collective virtue and not simply propagating a compelling delusion.
From a contemporary perspective, the Roman artefacts compel a stark contrast between their emphasis on order and our dynamic, ever-transforming world. Do their artifacts, steeped in philosophy and civic virtue, offer a deeper understanding of humanity than our contemporary manifestations?
How do we depict today’s leaders? Do we have humanistic descriptions of our dominion, including AI, global networks, and sustainability? Then, my next question is: What artifacts will future societies use to define us? Will they see unity or fragmentation in our artefacts? Our legacy, while vast, may prove less insightful than we imagine. Will they see a disconnect between our idealised visions and lived realities, the fragmentation of our goals, and the misinterpretation of our leadership and collective thinking?
Ultimately, the artefacts of our collective have become a story of fractured anecdotes. We have lost the ability to consider the enduring value of our actions and creations as a collective. As we shape the future, we must ask: are we building something that genuinely reflects our highest aspirations or merely collating fleeting records of our data? Will our artifacts illuminate the human experience across the ages, or will they leave future generations wondering what we truly value? Or will we just leave it to their interpretations? The answer lies in ensuring our creativity transcends the ephemeral and speaks to the core of what it means to be human in this era of an ever-transforming data-harvesting world.
Description
Explore the philosophical depths of a Roman-inspired image. Unpack leadership, future visions, and the enduring value of artifacts. What will our legacy be?
Ancient Hall, Roman Artifacts, Digital Age, Leadership, Legacy, Future Vision, Philosophical Interpretation, Artifact Interpretation, Visionary Image, Future Artifacts, Art
This artwork is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Distribution and/or modification of the artwork without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.
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