Image source: socialistpartyaustralia.org
The relationship between art and protest is analogous to that of the government and the secret service: an invisible code underwrites a mutual affinity. From the Guerrilla Art Action Group protesting against the Vietnam War; to Hakim Bey’s strategies of alluding political and social control; to the activist art of the Guerrilla Girls’ posters highlighting gender bias in the art world; to the recent strength mobilised by artists in their opposition to Transfield-backed Sydney Biennial – artists can successfully voice powerful political messages.