A study on Keith Haring popular artworks and how it is so successful.
Keith Haring was an American artist and social activist. His artworks are usually used as propaganda to make awareness on safe sex and AIDS awareness.
1. During that era, the epidemic AIDS is a huge problem. Using art, he try to bring light to the topic of AIDS, so people and governments listen, learn, and act up. Which shows how a visual design could be demonstrate as a weapon and opportunity to speak up. Many of the works are in the form posters, which encourage engagement.
2. Many of his works are in the form of visual because it could communicates to people despite the language barriers. The symbol pink triangle is a popular and well known symbol which is now used by the LGBT community to identify gay people.
3. The poster allow him to communicate that message about AIDS in a way that is not scary, so the audience would able to look at it. Using art softens it in a way. For example, putting a picture of an AIDS patient to warn the society would be too aggressive. However, if we used art it would be easier to digest even though both of this have the same purpose.
Conclusion, here is just a few things I have noticed in his artworks!!
Now lets look at some of the recent protest art that have been done.
1. Malaysia Bersih 4.0 Protest Art
From this protest, one of the most unforgettable protest art is a clown-face caricature of Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Najib Razak by Fahmi Reza as a way saying that "Malaysian politics is a circus full of clowns". The purpose of the artwork is to send out the message to the government to reform the current electoral system in Malaysia to ensure free, clean and fair elections.
Citations
Villarica, H., 2011.From Haring To Condom Man: Art As Weapon In The War Against AIDS. [online] The Atlantic. Available at: <https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/12/from-haring-to-condom-man-art-as-weapon-in-the-war-against-aids/249229/> [Accessed 22 April 2020].
Haas, B., 2018. Artist FahmiReza: 'Malaysian Politics Is A Circus Full of Clowns'.https://www.dw.com/en/artist-fahmi-reza-malaysian-politics-is-a-circus-full-of-clowns/a-42774967
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