Art and Social Justice

How Embodied Cultural Artwork Connects to Social Justice

Creative Arts and History of Time

To forward our art practice, we drew inspiration from the extensive body of work of our reference artist Adolf Hölzel. Original reference picture: Adolf Hölzel, "Glas Window Design, o. J.", ©Courtesy Collection LBBW, Photo: Volker Nauman

Working with this artwork as a reference for a watercolor study, we found that the subject matter was relevant in regard to the history of time

The reference picture spoke to us through the dynamic tension between space and non-space, as seen in the different sections of the artwork (spacious straight lines versus dense curvy lines)

The artistic process had implications regarding our ability to develop relational empathy for marginalized populations

Process of Artwork I

As we sketched the dense, curved lines, we felt a strong sense of unease in our body. There was a feeling of harsh contraction in our guts. This gut feeling opened the door to connect with empathy, not only for our own physical state, but also for the lives and suffering of others

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

People arrived by train, bus, private car, and on foot. To survive, they had to squeeze their bodies into overcrowded rolling rescue spaces in inhuman ways

Vivid images of refugee documentations from 2016 and 2022 came to mind: We could physically feel the sensation of being 'squeezed in' while holding the brush

This physical sensation expanded into a felt awareness of the existential situation of refugees in 2016 and 2022 as a collective

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

Artwork I © Freda Blob

Process of Artwork II

After doing a second watercolor sketch, we realized that space, or the lack thereof, is the ultimate survival category. It reveals who can survive and who cannot and is left behind

The artistic motif of straight and curvy lines and the political motif of bodies squeezing into rescue spaces connect to one of Jacob Lawrence's art pieces: The Migration Series, Panel 23: The Migration Spread

The original art work of Jacob Lawrence (an artist of the Harlem Renaissance) depicts how African Americans tried to board trains 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 © Freda Blob

In creating Artwork I and II, I discovered that aesthetic empathy opened the door to the category of 'no space' as an existential condition of the marginalized, such as refugees, migrants, and displaced persons

This category is part of the collective body of human mankind. To understand it psychologically and emotionally, cultural and creative arts activities were essential

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