'Do They Owe Us a Living' is an exhibition exploring political resistance using art as activism to raise questions about politics and capitalism.
The exhibition at the Royal Standard in Mann Street Liverpool 8 's Baltic District is curated by British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Simon Willems. 12 artists from across the UK showcase their work and collaborations, including Liverpool artist Sumuyya Khader.
Do they owe us a living? is a reference to the 1978 song by Punk band Crass and in sync with the sentiment of the song. The exhibition considers how any “living owed” is directed solely at quality of life.
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The focus is on activism, principally in work-related contexts. Artworks that question the efficacy of art to function as an act of political resistance in a literal political process, where it remains vulnerable to sanitisation under capitalism.
Exhibition curator Simon Willems told the ECHO : "I think exhibitions of this type are important. If an exhibition explores the idea of activism, and in this instance it emerged from a conference theme rooted in organisation and management contexts. It is important its not wheeled out as a given but afforded a critical space in which different political questions are raised as it relates to the grassroots struggle of lived experience in different communities and how they are represented.
"Also, as it relates to how narratives of resistance become politically co-opted. Likewise, I think it’s important that exhibitions like this take account of where they take place and where possible feature local artists, drawing on the histories of local communities".
The ‘art-as-activism’ theme was developed in partnership with the Art of Management and Organisation conference that took place at the Bluecoat and University of Liverpool in August. The biennial conference focused on the role of art and aesthetics in organisational and management contexts and was attended by scholars, practitioners and artists from across the world.
The Struggle III by artist, Rachel Garfield is filmed in the disused docks, Toxteth, Scotland Road and the cathedrals and Rachel said: "The exhibition speaks to my interests of the complexities of people's lived relationship with the world and how art can impact on their relationship to the world. My film is about the way in which, through intergenerational interviews, Liverpool’s communities of Irish heritage have negotiated their working lives in Liverpool."
Artist Julika Gittner said: "I think art can be a great way to expose and challenge injustices. Particularly when you expose it directly to public situations or social struggles.
"For this show (Demystifying Redevelopment Consultation) I use sculptures to materialise abstract data related to a social housing estate resident consultation process in Northwest London. The objects challenge the absurdity of representing people’s lives through economic data and, at the same time, make that data tangible and accessible to the residents".
The exhibition is free, open to the public and runs until Saturday September 24th (open each Thursday-Saturday) 12 -5pm.
For information visit: https://www.the-royal-standard.co.uk/
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