Where is the line between what we as artists create and what we believe about the world we live in? Is there a line? Should there be one? Is it reasonable for us to expect that people will accept what we create while ignoring what we think?
These questions have been swirling around in my head since February 24, but really in some measure they’ve been there since long before we watched an adversarial country of ours invade another one, a neighbor.
These questions are being asked now as arts institutions globally state their positions unequivocally on the situation in Ukraine. With their positions have come sanctions of their own…an assertion that Russian or other artists associated in any public way with Vladimir Putin make clear their repudiation of he and the war he has waged on their neighbor to the West.
Are these “sanctions” —the consequences of not speaking up resulting in cancelled or postponed gigs, forced resignations, firings, loss of contracts —what some call speak out or sit down, what others are calling a witch hunt, reasonable?
Is it reasonable to expect an artist to denounce someone, something in order to keep a gig? What extenuating circumstances do we unreasonably overlook that might prevent their stating a position?
What if on the other hand, the artist in question is a native of the offending country, does not condone the war but on the grounds that they are “not a political figure” will not denounce the primary aggressor; rather turn on the West that they live in and that helped launch and finance their careers with vitriol one would assume should be reserved for the head of their country?
For some institutions, fealty reputably enough in the past but also not rescinded seems to be all that is needed for arts executives to pull artists from productions, rosters, etc. Some artists who have not stated a position now but whose fealty is unquestioned and abject have been for all intent and purpose, completely and irrevocably cancelled. Where is the line?
Do they deserve that? Or do they deserve just as much right to believe and say what they want without such consequence?
I welcome your thoughts as I don’t have an answer…only more questions. Including….
What’s Next???
SAA