“A protest is a way of saying “no”—you really disagree with something or someone,” London-based Climate Justice campaigner Daze Aghaji explains in this Tate Kids video.
“Protests can shine a light on problems and challenge the people in charge. You can protest by yourself or in a group. Even when protests can’t fix a problem, they can inspire others to think differently and make a change.
“When an artist creates a work of art that says ‘No, this is not right!’—this is what we call protest art.”
Protest art can give us a voice, shows us where we can change, helps us understand, and brings people together. Aghaji introduces the power of protest art through four artists—Richard Bell, Faith Ringgold, Jeremy Deller, and Tania Bruguera—who use it as a tool for communication and collective activism.
Have you seen protest art in street art, online, at public events and demonstrations, or in community spaces, art galleries, museums, or public installations? What was that art saying “no” to? What issues were its creators shining a light on? Were they using visual art, performance art, music, literature, film, digital media, or something else? What were they trying to change?
Protest art holds the potential to spark empathy and understanding, building connections and solidarity among diverse communities. Through depicting the experiences and challenges faced by marginalized groups, it amplifies their voices and fosters compassion among a wider audience.
Protest art also encourages critical thinking and introspection, urging viewers to question prevailing norms and imagine alternative paths forward. It challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths about our societies and ourselves, prompting a reevaluation of our values, beliefs, and actions.
“Things can only change when you speak up and act… Many of the world’s problems may feel too big to solve, but by making protest art, we are saying we’re not giving up.”
“How could you use your art to say no? And what might that look like?” Try this activity next: Make a Protest Poster.
Then watch these videos about protest, including:
• Defacing coins like a British suffragette
• Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rainbow Flag
• Life Cycle: Ai Weiwei in Los Angeles
• Marta Minujín’s ‘Parthenon’ of Banned Books, an installation in Kassel, Germany (2017)
Related watching: How to Understand Power, a TED-Ed civics video for all ages
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