Viral Art — strategies for a new democracy

Abstract

Contemporary visual art practice includes a strand of ecological and environmentalist work, developed independently in Europe and the USA, one aspect of which is the development of practical solutions to industrial pollution, another the use of shock tactics to draw attention to the green agenda and the underlying contradictions of capitalism which produce environmental destruction. Amongst artists in this field are Mel Chin (USA) and the London-based group PLATFORM. The essay looks at aspects of their work, and argues that the viral-like approach of which both Chin and PLATFORM write offers a realizable prospect for radical social change — change in which art has the role of agency.