Most major art movements emerged from artists engaging with and challenging each other—through discussion, debate, shared exploration, and yes, some conflict. When we avoid that and default to keeping things polite or promotional, art risks becoming just another product—easy to consume, easy to forget.
Without real conversation, there’s little to push the work—or cultural synthesis—anywhere new. Then the only push that remains is consumerism and exploitation. And when we act solely in service of our own agenda—however noble it may seem—we risk falling into the familiar musical-chairs game of the drama triangle: victim, persecutor, rescuer. It’s a zero-sum game that leaves little space for nuance, genuine connection, or growth.
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I wrote the above after some recent, somewhat fraught, interactions within an art discussion group. Comments, questions, queries, and critique welcome.
