Art as Resistance: Beyond Capitalism’s Reach

by Tiffany Murnaghan

Capitalism is a word which seems to be thrown about a lot in the modern era, but it is no doubt the correct one to describe the current socio-economic system that we live in. It has affected our lives in many ways, so it’s no surprise its influence has seeped into our arts. 

We see, especially now in the 2020s, artists having to commodify their art to make a living and to keep up with a fast-evolving economy. What may have started out as a hobby has now become a career. As a result, many artists have had their passion snuffed out, as creating is no longer an outlet for the stresses of everyday life, but rather, it has transformed into one of those stresses. Art is now labour. 

The value people have for art has certainly changed as well due to capitalism. With STEM subjects emerging, the arts have been cast aside. They are considered less important to learn in school or to earn a degree in, because compared to STEM subjects, the impression is that there aren’t as many jobs in these fields and the salaries are low – which simply isn’t true! We engage with the arts every single day, whether it be listening to a song, watching a film, or buying decor for the house. There is still a demand for them even in a capitalistic framework.

However, this narrative has been reinforced by government policy. Last year, Equity discovered that “overall arts funding for the UK from national bodies (Arts Councils England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council of Wales and Creative Scotland) has been cut 16% in real terms since 2017” [1]. Not only do these cuts injure creative bodies which rely on this funding, but on a wider scale, it helps to paint a picture of the arts as an undesirable, inconsequential sector.

Furthermore, the Art Deco buildings Orpheus and Metropole were demolished a couple of years ago. As UAHS pointed out, there was “limited appreciation on the part of main government and corporate bodies of the advantages of heritage led regeneration” [2] for buildings like these. For Belfast especially it is a great loss, considering how artistic the place is as a city.

Due to commodification, a lot of art is now mass produced. Even classical paintings have become much more accessible to appeal to consumerism. You can buy a print of the Mona Lisa from the Lourve’s gift shop, or hell, get a Mona Lisa t-shirt [3]. The consumerist attitude of “must have” contributes to the lack of value upheld for art. If you own it, if your neighbour owns it, if you see it everywhere, what makes it so special? As art turns into another form of stress for the artist, it becomes another household item for us, like a cup of coffee or a vacuum cleaner. 

On the flip side of this, we can also speculate that art is deemed useless unless it can benefit those who are wealthy and can be reshaped into a tool which can uphold the system. But has the bourgeois always controlled the proletariat through their artistic endeavours? Surely artists have tried to fight back. And they have.

We don’t need to look any further than our own island. For instance, from the 19th century we see the modernist movement spreading across Europe and it reaches Ireland in the 20th century. The modernist movement was a response against the rapid industrialisation and urbanisation of the West. Particularly for Ireland, modernism was used as a way to combat British colonialism and reclaim Irish identity both culturally as well as politically.

By looking at these paintings, we see a range of different styles being adopted, such as impressionism, realism and surrealism [4]. Such styles aim to capture the “reality” behind the images, literally and/or metaphorically. In other words, artists were trying to draw attention to how industrialisation was changing their lives at the time.

Art has been a tool for revolution. We can be inspired by past art movements in order to create our own acts of rebellion in the present. Already there has been some illuminating work done through contemporary anti-capitalist art and art spaces like The Vault, University of Atypical and Pollen Studios are dependent on the people to keep them running rather than council funding. It goes to show that although art has been impacted by capitalism, we haven’t completely lost our powers of creativity and community. And it’s through a combination of these powers we can still defy the system. 

Sources:

[1‌] Equity. “UK Arts Councils Cut Funding 16% in Real Terms since 2017.” Equity. Equity, June 12, 2024. https://www.equity.org.uk/news/2024/uk-arts-councils-cut-funding-16-in-real-terms-since-2017.

[2] Ulster Architectural Heritage. “UAHS Condemns the Demolition of Art Deco Buildings in Belfast.” Ulster Architectural Heritage. Ulster Architectural Heritage, October 20, 2015. https://www.ulsterarchitecturalheritage.org.uk/news/uahs-condemns-demolition-art-deco-buildings-belfast/.

[3] Louvre Shop. “Mixed Mona Lisa All over T-Shirt – Musée Du Louvre S.” Lourve Shop. Lourve Shop, 2025. https://boutique.louvre.fr/en/product/38294-mixed-mona-lisa-all-over-shirt-musee-du-louvre.html?r=BFMZtXrV6vOXYSoWQQRf2SXEKUAhV9jpySQ5QVVEsTPhpnsQ8eCokpel3mvxtvEierHgwO8nWIyuMlNoF6N0S5NiM5bu1EdXH.

[4] Britton, David. “The Birth of Modernism in Irish Art 1920 – 1960.” Dublin Castle. Dublin Castle, 2022. https://dublincastle.ie/the-birth-of-modernism-in-irish-art-1920-1960/.