غاردن سيتي

By Doa Aly

I can think of one thing that might bring about true change, compel the attention of Islamist and neo-liberals alike, open the revolution’s cul-de-sac onto a new (creative) path: Art. Free art.

The freedom of artistic expression is to be differentiated from freedom of expression and speech, which is the freedom to do and say anything addressing one persistent subject. The freedom of artistic expression is the freedom to deal with absolutely any subject under the sun, to break away from formalist, conceptual and contextual ties. This kind of freedom is what might finally signal a Revolution.

I never believed in art as a tool for social change. When I hear someone speak about art’s role in society, my mind conjures up images of Mahmoud Yassin gesticulating and screaming, “Elfann Resala!” No, art is not a message. The only message in art is the artist. A unique…

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