Jessica Lack

An essential guide to how the power of art has been harnessed to effect political change across the modern world, from the struggle for universal suffrage to Black Lives Matter. Here is a well-researched, concise guide to protest art, exploring what happens when artists join forces with radical political movements to foster change. The works and movements discussed emerged at...

Why Are We Artists? is a new anthology encompassing 100 years of manifestos by artists, filmmakers, and architects from across the globe. "Art is not a luxury. Art is a basic social need to which everyone has a right." This extraordinary collection features 100 artists' manifestos from around the world, spanning the past century. It brings together political activists, anti-colonialists,...

Jessica Lack introduces fifty pioneering modern and contemporary art movements born out of political engagement, decolonisation, marginalisation, or conflict. These movements have aimed to revitalise society by challenging the status quo. While not as well known as Pop Art, Dada, and Futurism, these associations of artists—such as the Saqqakhaneh artists of Iran, the Stridentists of Mexico, Jikken Kobo of Japan,...