In the wake of the demonstrations that are now raging in the world, art has become a tool to both express regime criticism and show its support for the protests. House facades in Lebanon's capital Beirut are painted with political street art, in Santiago, Chile, protesters line up in protest songs by activist Victor Jara and in Bogotá, Colombia, a Colombian musician recently staged a big concert under the slogan "A Song for Colombia" in support of the demonstrations.
In Hong Kong, so-called Lennon walls are made up of thousands of colorful post-it notes with Chinese characters, slogans and drawings. The ever-changing artwork, inspired by the Lennon Wall in Prague that has been decorated with graffiti and Beatles lyrics since the murder of John Lennon, is a silent but clear support for the Hong Kong-born struggle for democracy.
But what difference does a post it note make?
Australian-Chinese artist Badiucao's regime-critical satirical drawings are now spreading like wildfire on social media. According to him, art can be a tool for criticizing the regime, but also a way of instilling hope in those who protest.
- Many people say to me: "I haven't laughed in days, but your drawings made my day". That's how I understand how important art is to Hong Kong residents now, Badiucao tells the Culture News.
Musician Tania Saleh, a resident of Beirut, is on the same track.
- The art has a positive impact quite clearly. We Lebanese feel better when we see how creative and fun we can be. It gives a moral boost, even though "freedom" and "change" are big words, Tania Saleh tells Culture News.
- Artists have to get out on the street and do everything they can to fight. People sing, play drums, print and paint stencils. That's what the meaning of art is, it's a rebellious act, "photographer Augusto Gomez Fuentes, one of those attending and documenting the protests in Valparaíso, Chile, tells Culture News.
At the same time, the mobilizing power of art should not be overestimated. What got so many people to organize, just as during the Arab Spring, could just as well be social media. But there seems to be a symbolic value in the artworks that makes people close up and extract power from them.
Time and again, the Lennon walls in Hong Kong are demolished, to resurrect as quickly.