Bit of a critical piece of writing here on my views of the anthropological term; Contested Modernity to best explain the motivations of artists to ‘pull down the walls’ of authority in modern times. This is a trend i’m noticing towards the end of my project, which is a shame as i’ve i’d have worked this theory earlier i may have fully incorporated it into my work earlier! I’m new to these theories and as such, if I have recorded inaccuracies then I encourage open conversation on these issues. Pleae make full use of the comments section below!

Contested modernity is a phrase that is new to me and I first encountered it in the magazine ‘Ad-Busters’, a publication that focuses on untangling the mess of modern society and in particular capitalism whilst proposing possible replacement governmental systems and highlighting artists who are working towards this end. I do not believe that society is all on the same page and I feel that the cores of liquid modernity, post modernity and contested modernity can apply to different society groups at different times. My aim here is not to justify contested modernity as a wholesale branding of the society in which we live in, or even the society I live in. However I can see it as a driving motivation for some artists such as Peter Kennard, Banksy and Hilary Pecis. There are three key points to contested modernity, as I understand it. The rise of China and other cultures, the weakening of the west both morally and financially and finally the amount of attention artists are getting by raising questions of authority.

The rise of China to become a real superpower with growing influence over the western world comes as no surprise to any analyst or worldly person, the real shock of this decade is how quickly America has crumbled both morally and financially. The land of the free and the great American dream is rapidly defending into the land of lost hope and dreams, dragging with it most of the developed Christian world. The magazine the economist highlighted the growing connections between China and South America and developing eastern markets and these connections combined with cheap manufacturing industries are allowing the world to recover from the damage done to America much faster than America itself. Countries like the U.K are struggling more than America as most of its old manufacturing industries have been out-sourced to distant lands and they cannot build their way out of trouble. It puts the pound and the dollar, for years the world’s strongest currencies in a difficult position and allows China to be more demanding on the west and implement its own agenda and ethos faster. But what does the west really understand about Chinese political culture?

“The central player in this new world will be China. Continental in size and mentality, China is a ‘civilization-state’ whose characteristics, attitudes and values long predate its existence as a nation-state. Although China is clearly influenced by the West, its extraordinary size and history mean that it will remain highly distinct, and as it exercises its rapidly growing power it will change much more than the world’s geopolitics. The nation-state as we understand it will no longer be globally dominant, and the Westphalian state system will be transformed; ideas of race will be redrawn”.- Anatole Kaletsky

And this idea of questioning race and culture has never been more in the spotlight than now. One of the biggest artists in the world right now has built a reputation on questioning the nation-state and its authority figures, in particular the servants of authority such as the police and military. Banksy is a graffiti artist, which is an art form in direct collision with mainstream culture and authority. To this day he has hid his true identity and lives in fear of being unveiled, as what would happen to him is unclear. Some council celebrate his work whilst others paint over them, he has caused hypocrisy in the system and is celebrated for it. For a graffiti artist to be able to exhibit in the finest galleries in the western world and in particular America, it shows how popular questioning authority has become. This is coupled to the back of two questionable wars against ‘terror’ in Afghanistan and Iraq where speculation of the true motives for war have existed as long as the conflict. Are we there to hunt terror? Oppress Islam, which is the only religion that could call itself as expanding both in member base and wider world influence. To guarantee oil supplies for the west’s large corporations and energy markets or to keep a military presence close to the Chinese boarder to allow rapid response if crisis occurs? All are viable but we ay never know, unless Wikileaks, another key component of contesting authority and the west could manage to find the files that tell us.

“For well over 200 years, we have lived in a Western-made world, one where the very notion of being modern is inextricably bound up with being Western. The twenty-first century will be different. The rise of China, India and the Asian tiger economies means that, for the first time, modernity will no longer be exclusively Western. The West will be confronted with the fact that its systems, institutions and values are no longer the only ones on offer.” -Anatole Kaletsky

When I was a child America was a place of hope. Thanks to its constitution, the needs of the people came first and under Bill Clinton the American government managed to build friendships and expand its influence on the wider world. I’m beginning to believe that this moment will be known as the peak of America as a world leading power, I don’t see them climbing to this point again. America has a cancer growing inside of it and that cancer is eating away directly at the heart of the ideals of America, the Constitution. Although not the first violation of human rights in American history, Guantanamo bay will become this generations Vietnam. On American soil existed a place that was designed to strip the civil liberties of humans and degrade their existence and under George Bush’s Conservative government corporations were put before the people in government policy. In New Orleans, race became crucial to how well you were treated during a national disaster and for the first time since Pearl Harbor an enemy had the confidence to attack American soil and kill its citizens. Since then America has become more polarized and a political devoid has formed that could rupture America’s more metropolitan coastlines away from the core as the Tea party movement. Led by basket case Sarah Palin attempts to re-write America for the rich and its profit machines. All of this and many more reasons are causing the wider world to contest the ideals of America in with it modern life in general. As for years we have become used to America being our shoulder to lean on. Can you imagine a world where China is the dominant power and where news networks complain about our openness and civil liberties, as they do not suit the way of the dominant communist model?

“When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.” -Alexis de Tocqueville

We walk in fear and it is the job of the muses in this world to inspire us to do better, to be more confident and to question the normality of our society to expect more for all. Or at least that’s what some art is here to do and it’s these artists who are currently receiving the most attention. No matter where in the world they come from, if they question the authority they can become crucial to the development of the world. More and more artists are questioning society and more and more artists are being sanctioned for it. Weather it is the Russian group Voina being arrested without charge and beaten to a bloody pulp by Russian security forces or the ongoing concern for Ai Weiwei who has been detained by Chinese forces after constantly speaking out against the ruling party. I believe my work falls into this category and will do more so as I continue to gain confidence in a political practice of creation. I am motivated to question my government at every turn and if it wasn’t my own government I’m sure I’d be question others as injustice is world wide. I contest this modernistic lifestyle, as I believe that it is unsustainable and inept at putting the will and need of the people before the will and need of the rich. Time and time again its true desire for mega corporations and power are shown and it saddens me that many of the population have been brainwashed into accepting this way of life as the best possible. But there is no silk rainbow at the end of this cloud, if we push for change there is absolutely no way of knowing at this stage what the future will be. Will we better off morally and financially? Traditionally, wholesale change to society only happens after a period of intense bloodshed, be it the French model for change that involves bloodshed at the necks of your leaders or the American model, which invalid fuels call civil war. Will we survive as a race? Nuclear weapons are more common than in World War II and the guardians of Capitalism are fanatical in their belief that they are doing not only the people’s will but also Gods.

No matter how rough the transition, my backing goes to contesting the modern format of society. Stagnation leads to a poison in the supply of life and a corruption of the raw resources required to live. It is not in our best interests to take a backseat in our own development and if Darwin has taught humanity anything, it is that those who do not evolve, die.

My writings here are not intended as a motivational review of the work I have just completed but as a demonstration of how the work has now driven my motivation to do more in the same vein. This is part of my critical analysis of myself and my own views as much as it is an understanding of the term ‘critical modernity’ and a building block laid from the solid foundations set by both the #phonar project and the final projects works. Realizing that my work is constantly evolving and essential to my development is crucial to understanding the importance of this work.