By The ASAR-O Collective

After June 14, when the forces of repression displaced the teachers and various organizations that were participating in their encampment, the common sentiment in many sectors underwent a complete transformation. The artistic sector experienced this and, along with other sectors, has taken to the streets to demonstrate its repudiation of the current government’s policies.

ASARO (ASSEMBLY OF THE REVOLUTIONARY ARTISTS OF OAXACA) began developing the counter-culture of the capitalist system in Oaxaca and the true culture of the people began to reflect the actual reality of the marginalized, the exploited and the oppressed. We have realized that until this day art has been nothing more than a reflection of the vision of those who have dominated us for decades – they have used us as instruments of alienation and commercialization, diverting us away from our true role as artists. They have molded art to fit trends, mass production, etc. in which every product has a price. Art has not been exempted from this process, but has become involved in the laws of supply and demand. The majority of artistic forms today have become classist; they are aimed solely at a targeted audience – the ruling class – and to a specific sector within that class. They ignore the popular majority, which remains condemned to not being able to access these spaces if they do not have money and cannot pay to contemplate culture at its highest levels of expression. Instead they are subjected to a deformed, alienated and sentimentalist culture, which in no way helps to promote either the physical or social development of human beings.

The emergence of APPO, however, has led graffiti artists, stencil artists, painters, photographers, musicians, composers and many more to concentrate their talents, creativity and imagination on creating images, rhythms, etc. that draw their inspiration more than anything from the sentiment of the people, putting art into the marginalized, oppressed and exploited hands of Oaxaca. This, without a doubt, is a transcendental step in the history of art as a cultural medium in Oaxaca. For the first time, artists are beginning to walk alongside the exploited and oppressed people; for the first time, they are beginning to identify Ulises Ruiz as the cause of conditions of poverty, also recognizing that he is just one of the many puppets belonging to our country’s exploitative bourgeoisie.

Little by little, the movement and the people are organizing and creating their own art. Through this art, our people are able to dialog and reflect on the struggle that they are carrying out, although we recognize that we, as artists, are still limited. We will continue to improve our organizational process and work towards the point when art on a national level draws its inspiration from the popular struggle, which it has yet to do. We see these two elements as inter-related and fundamental, rather than as two separate goals. Art should serve to spread the reality that the masses confront, which is why we should think about building a national organization of all progressive and revolutionary artists who are dedicated to the struggle for the freedom of all peoples. This organization should take on the ideological and philosophical tool of class as something indispensable, a guiding principle. Experience has shown us that impetuosity, individualism and commercialism in art, which is evident in the work of the majority of artists, should be left behind.