Art Intervention Finals
The art of wearable activism combines the power of artistic expression with social and political activism, often using wearable objects or clothing to communicate. It is a form of artistic protest, that raises awareness, challenges social norms, and promotes dialogue on various topics.
Wearable activist art can take many forms, such as clothing with powerful slogans, symbols, or images that convey a specific social or political message. These wearables can be designed to spark conversation, provoke thought, or challenge the status quo. They give people a visible way to express their beliefs and come together. Using wearable activist art allows artists and activists to connect with a wider audience outside traditional art spaces. By integrating art into everyday life through clothing or accessories, individuals like myself become walking manifestations of our beliefs, creating opportunities for conversations and connections with others. This art form blurs the lines between art, fashion, and activism, making statements through personal style and visual performance.
For my project I put together an outfit with personal symbolism and deep meanings embedded in the pieces. As an iconic fashionable artist myself everyday for me is essentially a performance, as through my outfits I promote authenticity and innovation and act as a ;public live action breathing and walking canvas, to whom ever sees me. Which is why doing this project felt natural to me and like something I had to do. As this outfit was designed with meanings.
Through the pieces I put together I wanted to show my experiences, mindset/belief, and insanity.
Through the African beads and dashiki I show my heritage and that my culture is big in my life. As the dashiki is from SierraLeone where my family is from and the beads are from Ghana where I received my second name Asamoah meaning “Revolutionist”. After visiting Ghana and learning about Africa pre colonialism and events that took place during colonialism I’ve grown more closer to African culture and tradition and the curiosity that comes with. Tying into why I walk with a sword as I am a descendent of the Mandingo tribe. Known to be very powerful with the swords, vast in knowledge and riches also for their skills with the drums. Also the sword is reiteration that I’m a real life vigilante and my life is a movie. Similar to Adrian Piper “ I am the Lotus” performance in 1975. Where she would dress as a man and also repeatingly say a script as she was in a movie. I believe my life is a movie which is why and dress and behave as a main character. “Performance Is useful for dramatizing what already exists. Sometimes reality needs help” - The Art of Activism.
My message for the audience is how connected are you with your dressing?
What can one say about you just by looking at your outfit and what can you tell about yourself by your outfit. I reached my audience by dressing up and leaving my house. As everyone who seen me were caught by surprise and took their time processing the outfit. I received many compliments on and off campus. Also even confessions of admiration the same night. The audience engaged with my project by conversation with me about the reasoning behind the outfit, or what can they tell about me by looking at the outfit.
Dressing authentic and confident is very inspiring not only to myself but to others as well. As I aspire to be a musically incomparable professional performing artist, fashion icon etc important that I’m always creative and look the part as well. “The Black Panther wore leather and berets: both communicate a message, to different audiences and in different contexts. Perhaps people associated the very idea of activism with how we present ourselves. But style is not just about, or even primarily about, what we wear it’s about the overall image we project”(The Art of Activism). The movement and visual projection of the black panthers really inspire me as well. As they made sure to project confidence and the aliveness of the resistance. As why I aspire to project authenticity no more where you are on this earth or even out of space. Also I took inspiration from Carolee Shneeman’s eye body portfolio which she used her body as an extension of her painting to attack the psyche of the mass similar to me.
Duncombe, Stephen, and Steve Lambert. The Art of Activism: Your All-Purpose Guide to Making The Impossible Possible. O/R, OR Books, 2021.
Artists/Projects of inspiration
Adrian Piper- I am the lotus
Carolee Shneeman -eye body portfolio
activist hmr
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