Art and Social Justice

How embodied cultural artwork connects to Social Justice

Creative Arts and History of Time

To forward our art practice, we took a piece of the rich body of work of CCP artist of reference Adolf Hölzel for inspiratio. Original reference picture:

Adolf Hölzel, "Glas Window Design, o. J.", ©Courtesy Collection LBBW, Photo: Volker Nauman

Working along this art piece as reference for a watercolor study, the motive of the reference turned out to be relevant in regard to history of time

The reference picture spoke to us through the dynamic tension between space and no space shown in different sections of the artwork (spacious straight lines versus densed curvy lines)

The artmaking process had implications in regards to our ability to build Relational Empathy for marginalized populations

Process of Artwork I

Sketching the densed curved lines we felt a strong body sense of unease. There was a feeling of harsh contraction in the guts. This gut feeling was a door opener to get in touch with empathy not only for our own physical state but more so with for the life and suffering of others

The gut feeling reminded us of the Felt Sense we had during the influx of Syrian refugees and Ukraine war survivors in 2016 and 2022

People came with trains, busses and private car convoys and on foot. For to survive they had to squeeze their bodies into overcrowded rolling rescue spaces in ways that had been inhuman

Views of refugee documentations in 2016 and 2022 became vivid to the inner eye: We could feel the state of 'being squeezed in' physically while holding the brush

This physical feeling opened up to felt awareness of the 2016 und 2022 existential of refugees as collective

Watercolor sketch following the reference picture of Adolf Hölzel ('Glas Window Design, o.J.')

Artwork I

Process of Artwork II

Doing a second watercolor sketch we realized that space or no space is THE category of survival. It reveals who can make it and who cannot make it and is left behind

The artistic motive of straight and curvy lines, and the political motive of bodies squeeezing into rescue places, connects to one of the art pieces of Jacob Lawrence: The Migration Series, Panel 23, The Migration spread

Original Art Work of Jacob Lawrence, depicting how Afroamericans tried to get on the trains up north during the Great Migration

Jacob Lawrence, The Migration Series, Panel 23, 1940-41, Casein tempera on hardboard, 12 x 18 in. The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC, Acquired 1942

Watercolor sketch following Jacob Lawrence 'The Migration Series, Panel 23, 1940-41'

Artwork II

In doing artwork I and II, aesthetic empathy was the door opener to the category of no space as an existential of the marginalized (refugees, migrants, displaced persons)

This category is implemented in the collective body of human mankind. To get hold of it psychologically and emotionally, embodied cultural and creative arts activities were key

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