Politics of Affect and Art: Analysis of Banksy's Graffiti

초록

Background Since the 1990's, affect is central to understanding late-capitalist society in cultural and critical theory, as it provides possibilities to explain multiple and complicate social problems by surpassing the dichotomy of subject and object, mind and body in modern philosophy. This study will analyze Banksy's graffiti works focusing on their capacity of affect to produce social and political effects. Methods This study analyzed related literature on affect focusing on Gills Deleuze and Brian Massumi. Then the study reviewed existing documents on Banksy's works and analyzed images and messages in Banksy's graffiti from the point of view of affective approach. Results Banksy's art works have three characteristics as social and aesthetic practices. First, it is a creative practice that deterritorises the established disciplinary boundaries. Second, it provides opportunities to reawaken reality through dissonance and disconnection. Banksy continues to criticize disciplinary power and capitalist mechanism by drawing graffiti dealing with social issues and organizing various social critical performances. Third, it realizes relational politics by interacting with people and promoting creative and collective actions. Conclusions This study tried to analyze the capacity of affect which increases the collective's capacity for action by stimulating our sense and perception and encouraging people newly recognize things, people and environment and pursue changes in everyday life. Banksy's graffiti illustrates how art works break through existing rules and institutions through a new imagination and awaken the contradictions and paradoxes of power in this capitalist world. © 2021 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License. All Rights Reserved.

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