Has art turned into nothing more than a market, where only museums’ visitors numbers count, or the stardom of an artist such as Ai Weiwei? A new generation of artists is fighting this trend and creating explicitly activist art connected to a changing world. A sculpture of a kneeling Hitler was recently sold for 17 million dollars. The British artist Isaac Julien had the works of Karl Marx read out loud at the last edition of the Venice Biennale, while private yachts were mooring at the quay for the opening, and with Julien himself being sponsored by Rolls Royce. Cultural pessimists announce the ‘end of art’: it is now ruled by money, celebrity, design and digital mass culture. But the Italian actor Alessandro Baricco, the collective “Assemble Studios” (eighteen young architects and designers who decided to improve houses in a working-class area of Liverpool without seeking a profit and thus won the prestigious Turner Prize), visual artist Femke Herregraven and Artist Renzo Martens don’t see it that way. Could it be we are only adapting our cultural experience? Which should inspire optimism. In order for art to continue to be relevant, it should connect to the social reality around us and revive itself through fresh commitment. Also with: Mark Nash & Isaac Julien (visual artists), Anthony Meacock and Lewis Jones (architects art collective Assemble) and Timothy Morton (philosopher). This programme was made possible with the support of the Dutch Mediafund. Originally broadcasted by VPRO in 2016. © VPRO Backlight october 2016 VPRO Documentary: Our globalized world causes societies, economies and cultures to seek a new balance. VPRO Documentary reflects on this with new features every week. We research subjects like politics, world economy, society and science with experts and try to grasp the essence of prominent trends and developments. So subscribe to our channel and we will be delighted to share our adventures with you! Visit additional youtube channels bij vpro broadcast: vpro Broadcast: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC75PWWQrls0z6fh0loY5I4Q vpro Metropolis: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpnazGScKQfGauk7YNyI21w vpro Documentary: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9sXw4ZdPEIp6bYGvLW-_iA vpro World Stories: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqJ6GC0klkbFuQa-0ZePqkQ vpro Extra: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTLrhK07g6LP-JtT0VVE56A vpro VG (world music): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-KX3q7zIz7s2rjooBfl6Nw vpro 3voor12 (alternative music): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-p9faJQsBObRNiKY8QF2NQ vpro 3voor12 extra (music stories): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtgVYRLGraeL9rGMiM3rBHA www.vprobroadcast.com Credits: Research: William de Bruijn Director of photography: Hans Fels, Pim Hawinkels Sound: Ednah Bonareri, Sander den Broeder Editor: Michiel Hazebroek Kenya producers: Alexander Valeton, Kennedy Odhiambo Web editor: Jasper Koning Producer: Jeroen Beumer Commissioning editors: Marije Meerman, Doke Romeijn Archive: Picha Mtaani, Euronews Thanks to: Selfmade Films, Jin Ho Verdonschot English, French and Spanish subtitles: Ericsson. French and Spanish subtitles are co-funded by European Union.

Comments

1. Elitist horseshit.  Only control freaks and talentless non-producers believe in Karl Marx.  Give me a break.
2. That place Nikel in Russia. . with all the Nickel mines. ..is very similar to Sudbury in Ontario Canada. . . or at least how Sudbury used to be before they cleaned up the environment. It was a kind of wasteland due to sulphuric acid rain from the mining activity.
3. Good to see that they are using drones to take pics but not to kill people like others do.
4. <3 great doc
5. The European art world is bankrupt. Existentialism is artsy, but vacuous. Postmodernism is a disaster of incoherence and social/epistemological meaninglessness. Now, they are resurrecting Marx. Again. French philosophy has deluded the capacity for reason; it consciously merged proof and argumentation to the point where they are, in this video, "realising" politics, art, and philosophy are the same thing. They did that to themselves with their guilt and self-loathing; their desperate attempt to define unsettling realities as pleasant hyperrealities to cope with their guilt. The proper mode of thinking should be that of selfpreservation, but they are looking to hard at Schopenhauer's conclusion.
6. God there's some really delusional artists in here.
7. The people in this doc are WAAAYYyyy too Hoidy-Toidy.
   
   They're almost not people. They're too frail and sissy to be considered people.
8. Just great! There are so many drone footages in this doc with the exception of those face to face interviews.
9. Thanks for the Christmas gift!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! awesome doc!