A quote I keep going back to.
I’ve not been able to get steady bearings since the morning after the election, and I’m guessing that’s true for you who read here.
I’m devastated and heartbroken that such a vile person is once again going to be given the keys to the kingdom. And even though it’s not technically until January 20th that that happens, everywhere you look, it seems to have emboldened more hate.
I won’t go on because I know you know.
I simply do not know how to navigate this world where only about 30% of eligible voters are now able to create this ugly world for the rest of us. I don’t know my role in this kind of world.
I do not want to allow them to take my joy but I am struggling.
One thing that I have recently started to do is read about the idea of the artist under fascist/authoritarian types of governments. I’m digging into an academic piece right now that I’ll eventually share. And I’ll keep sharing because digging into this vein of wisdom gives me some sense of myself — at least while I’m reading.
Here’s the first piece I read, and here’s my favorite quote from it:
““Within this authoritarian context, performance work flourished—as ephemeral works proved difficult to censor and commercial viability wasn’t a concern—and particularly so among women artists. In some of her performance works, poet and artist Katalin Ladik would appear completely naked, barely clothed, or costumed, challenging normative gender roles. “The freedom to use your body in a dictatorial state is the last freedom,” Szántó says.”
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