SOCIAL SCULPTURE DEFINED, BY DR. GEORGE RIVERA

SOCIAL SCULPTURE DEFINED

BY DR. GEORGE RIVERA

Social sculpture is a phrase used to describe an expanded concept of art that was invented by the artist and cofounder of the German Green Party, Joseph Beuys.

Beuys created the term “social sculpture” to embody his understanding of art’s potential to transform society. As a work of art, a social sculpture includes human activity that strives to structure and shape society or the environment.

The central idea of a social sculptor is an artist who creates structures in society using language, thoughts, actions, and objects.

The KEY COMPONENTS OF AN “ACTION” AS DEFINED

BY BEUYS: • INVOLVES HUMAN ACTIVITY • ACTS TO TRANSFORM SOCIETY • STRIVES TO STRUCTURE & SHAPE SOCIETY OR THE ENVIRONMENT • MUST USE LANGUAGE (DISCUSSION), THOUGHTS, ACTIONS, AND OBJECTS) • THOUGH IT CAN BE PRESENTED IN AN ART VENUE, IT OFTEN INVOLVES ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE OF THE WHITE CUBE

When creating a social sculpture related to an ARTNAUTS exhibition, the social sculpture must relate to the theme of the exhibition and involves discussion related to the theme as it relates to the place of contention wherein it is presented.

SOCIAL SCULPTURE ACTIONS must be explained in relation to key components and documented in ARTNAUTS Reports.

SOCIAL SCULPTURE ACTIONS AS APPLIED TO SARAJEVO EXHIBITION 1. Resilience was chosen as a theme for our Sarajevo exhibition because Bosnia had experienced a war instigated by Serbia with the goal of “ethnic cleansing.”

Bosnia was now living in “Peace” and had survived the war through toughness, i.e. resilience. Thus, the theme relate to what had happened.

Musical Instruments made by tribes in the Amazon Rainforest.

2. The Amazon Sound Art Action was performed at the request of Ibrahim Spahic to give attention to an ecological issues in Bosnia by highlighting a disaster occurring in the Amazon Rainforest due to deforestation, mining with poisonous chemicals, clearing land for cattle ranches.

3. The Defining Peace exhibition with photographs of Bosnians defining peace was relevant to our “peace” initiative and celebrated the value of peace in Bosnia.

4. The Ukrainian cards project complemented the card art exhibition of graphic design students at the Sarajevo Academy of Art and gave us an opportunity to show them our Ukraine cards that addressed social change during a war.

5. The visit to Tito’s Bunker emphasized their (and our) fear of nuclear war. War is the opposite of peace.

6. The Soil Art workshop emphasized the importance of soil representing land and the country of Bosnia; the soil was taken from locations in Sarajevo where war had killed Bosnians.

7. The visit to elementary schools was initiated to read a children’s book on peace illustrated by children in Bosnia on our previous exhibition there. The distribution of paste it notes on hearts and leaf paste it notes were to solicit children’s views on peace and to generate a discussion about it.

8. The GREEN ACTION Lecture was given to emphasize the importance of planting trees, like Beuys, as an ecological activity that Ibrahim Spachic and others who were involved planting seedlings to revive the forest.

9. International Burch University lectures by Dr. George Rivera and Pamela Beverly-Quigley on how our art deals with social issues – Rivera on Mutations in the Amazon and Pamela on the Great Salt Lake and how it is drying up due to climate change.

Topics emphasize the need for social change.

10. The soil art workshop was presented to emphasize the importance of land (which Serbia sought to take away). It also encouraged students to create soil art pieces to send to the diaspora around the world as a piece of memory from their country.

11. Distributing stickers of STOP HATE and STOP PUTIN, WAR CRIMINAL on the streets so that passers-by could think about what war was doing now and how hate had turned into war.

12. Meeting with Emir and Dzenan to plan for future collaborations.

All of these involved talking about SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION (Social Change), involved human activity by working with others to discuss peace, strived to structure and shape society by emphasizing peace and valuing environmental care, using language, thoughts, actions, and Bosnian objects (soil).

Our exhibitions begin with an exhibition on a theme relevant to our country and theirs to initiate discussion of the relevance of the theme to their country. Thereafter, what we do is completely different from other exhibitions because we create social sculptures through actions with people to allow us to dialogue about how we can create a better world for all of us.

Our social sculpture actions are created with the intent to create social transformation that heals others as they deal with inhumanity that erodes our common well-being.

All of us can create art about social transformation, but not all of us can create social sculptures (actions) that extend beyond the white cube to initiate discussion about the consequences of the inhumanity that exists and the importance of healing from that wound.

Thus, the task of the ARTNAUTS is a difficult one for those of us trained in the mainstream artworld. Though we may miss our mark sometimes, we try to make art with related ACTIONS that matter. Every little act helps, and trying itself is an act.

Dr. George Rivera