Art can’t stop war or save lives. But, at least at its best, it can change minds. Art can get under your skin, pop into your head when your eyes are closed, and shake you out of complacency.
This election season, CULTURED asked a range of artists to pick a work of art that deals in some way with politics and tell us how it has influenced them. They could select a recent work or an older one, something explicitly or implicitly political. The most important qualification was that they chose a work that changed the way they think.
The answers ranged widely. Faith Ringgold proved especially popular; in one delightful coincidence, an artist chose a work by someone who also contributed to our list. In the end, these selections prove that there is no one form of political art, and no singular impact it can have. But its significance in the hearts and minds of artists endures.
Hilary Harkness
Michelle Uckotter, Pig Girl, 2024
"I've been treated as an abomination, not just in the context of a religious conservative upbringing, but by 'political artists' looking to make a singular point about feminism at the expense of a more expansive view of the spectrum of gender expression. Without empathy, our politics and our art risk becoming hollow and shrill. This painting by Shelley Uckotter makes room for me to breathe in a world that has tried to pinch and diminish me from day one. I feel less alone because of this painting. It's a painting that encourages viewers (including other artists) to keep going as ourselves; our whole selves, even when blazing a different trail is exhausting."